Alex Albon claimed he was largely satisfied with his Bahrain Grand Prix performance despite lucking his way to third.
The Red Bull driver started fourth but lost out to Sergio Perez, the man seen as the biggest threat to his seat for 2021, at the start and was unable to re-pass the Mexican.
Fortunately for Albon, he didn’t need to as an engine failure for Perez saw him inherit his second Formula 1 podium in third.
But despite what most consider a disappointing race, well off the pace of teammate Max Verstappen, he was happy.
“It was a good race,” said Albon. “Obviously Sergio had a great race too and he had the blow-up, so I’m partly, not fully, fully, satisfied but… we had to be there to capitalise on it and on my side, it was a good race.
Also Read:
- Albon: Staying at Red Bull my only plan for 2021
- Perez: Late engine failure ‘hard to digest’ but ‘irrelevant’ after Grosjean crash
- Perez will consider racing future if Red Bull don’t choose him for 2021
“Saying that of course, I want to be better, I want to be faster, and challenging more often for podiums.
“I didn’t quite have the pace to overtake Sergio, but we were just there behind him waiting for something to happen and it did so P3, it was a good result, and especially a double podium for the team – that’s good for them as well.”
Asked if the result had helped him convince Red Bull to keep him next season, Albon believes it was a positive step.
“On my side, it feels like I’ve just got to focus on my job and ignore everything else,” he said.
“Of course, the podium is great, but it just feels like it’s been in the making, and all the work that’s been done behind the scenes – it’s great to show it, and great for my side of the garage.
“We’ve been working hard all year and the progress is there,” he added. “But this… race was actually the one that I wanted: boring, nothing happening, just driving around and it was a nice podium today!”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner was under few assumptions about Albon’s result on Sunday, however.
“Sergio’s bad luck was Alex’s luck. He had a good start and it’s not often that you see a Mercedes engine do something like that. It’s unlucky for him but nice for Alex,” he told Sky Sports.
“You have to remember that Sergio Perez drove for me in Formula 2. He is a very strong driver, but I’ve always said that our priority is to give Alex a real chance.
“He is making progress. He drove a very mature race today. I don’t think we are in much of a hurry because we have a few more races and Sergio doesn’t have any other chances.”
Indeed, Horner later confirmed that no decision will be taken until after next weekend’s finale in Abu Dhabi.