AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost has recommended Alex Albon “concentrate on himself” in his first full season at Red Bull.
The UK-born Thai driver was arguably the biggest surprise of 2019, after joining Toro Rosso without the same razzmatazz as fellow Formula 2 graduates Lando Norris and George Russell.
Yet despite by far having the least experience of any of the 20 drivers on the grid – and spinning on his first lap during testing for good measure – Tost explained how Albon’s impact was immediate.
“When he started testing it was his first time in a Formula 1 car and he did a really good test in Barcelona, where he showed his potential,” the Austrian told Racer.
“I said in Barcelona that he could become the surprise of the year of the young drivers and I said from the beginning onwards during the testing in Barcelona that he really showed a good performance.
“He came to Australia – which is not an easy race – and didn’t score points, but in the second race in Bahrain, he finished in ninth position and scored two points.
“This showed his potential.”
As Pierre Gasly struggled at the senior Red Bull team, Albon then got his chance to audition for a 2020 seat from Spa, and he would fully capitalise finishing in the top six at every race bar Brazil, where he was punted by Lewis Hamilton while running second.
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But now facing the prospect of a full year with proper preparation and increased expectations alongside one of the top drivers in F1, the 23-year-old has been told not to get distracted.
“If you have a driver alongside you like Max Verstappen, it’s on one hand very positive, you can see where you gain time and where you lose time,” Tost noted.
“But on the other hand, if he’s so fast it could be quite frustrating sometimes if you cannot match him.
“So Alex should just concentrate on himself, he should learn and then he will do it his way,” the Austrian added.
“He’s in his second season, and I always say that it takes three seasons minimum until a driver understands Formula 1.”