A poor getaway was all that set Alex Albon back on an impressive weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix.
While teammate Max Verstappen got all the attention at Suzuka, the Thai driver put together another competitive outing, most notably matching the Dutchman’s lap time in Q3.
“I’m more happy with the qualifying than the race,” he said to Sky Sports. “When we headed out for qualifying, I felt comfortable to push it.
“When you just feel comfortable and confident in the car that’s really where the lap time is, especially on a track like this.”
Unfortunately, one of Red Bull’s main weaknesses didn’t allow him to capitalise on the madness ahead in the first few corners.
“Yeah, a lot of wheelspin, my fault really,” Alcon admitted. “I lost two positions which kind of dictated the race because I spent most of that race trying to get back past the McLarens.
“The move on Lando [Norris] for P5 was on, he gave me space and left the door open but it was a bit tight!
“By the time I got past Carlos I was in no man’s land and that was it really, the guys in front were gone and the guys behind were my only threat, so I just managed the tyres.”
His move on Norris was naughty, to say the least, as he barged down the inside into the final chicane, but with the stewards deeming it fair, he continued on to another impressive result.
“Fourth is my F1 career-best finish and this weekend has definitely felt like my best with the [Red Bull] team,” he said.
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“I wanted more in the race and felt like I could have done better, but it was good to score some points for the team and fourth was the best we could do.
“I’m still finding my feet, but overall I’m happy with my pace and progress and we took a step forward this weekend,” Albon added.
“Coming into the weekend we probably wanted more, especially for Honda. We were close but we just didn’t quite have the pace. Now we’ll do our homework and hopefully come back stronger in Mexico.”