Albon wants to be "thorn in Mercedes' strategy" in Bahrain
Alexander Albon hopes he can be a "thorn in Mercedes' strategy" after qualifying fourth for the Bahrain Grand Prix, matching his best Formula 1 starting position.
Albon bounced back from a hefty crash during second practice at the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday to snare fourth place on the grid in qualifying.
The result saw him lock out the second row of the grid for Red Bull alongside teammate Max Verstappen.
Asked if the result was a relief following his FP2 shunt, Albon said he was always feeling in a good rhythm with the Red Bull RB16 car in Bahrain.
"Truthfully speaking, FP1 was pretty decent, and FP3 was pretty decent, so fourth didn't seem unrealistic," Albon said.
"It felt like something which I was thinking was definitely achievable before qualifying. Of course it was nice to have it, and the car has been feeling good this weekend.
"Especially since today really, it's kind of clicked a bit more. Obviously P4 is nice.
"Hopefully we can be a thorn in Mercedes' strategy and see what we can do."
Red Bull was forced to change the chassis on Albon's car due to the severity of his crash in practice, but the Anglo-Thai driver said it did little to knock his confidence.
"Especially in a team like Red Bull, the quality is really high, and you're not going to get big differences," Albon said when asked by Motorsport.com to explain the differences felt after a chassis change.
"At least on my side, nothing. It's more just set-up and feeling, and on top of that, confidence. You want to get on it quickly.
"But truthfully, on the confidence side, I was quite happy with it. It was a silly mistake to begin with yesterday, so I knew that I could put it behind me pretty quickly and focus on today."
Albon finished six tenths of a second off teammate Verstappen's laptime, but explained he found it hard to get back up to speed on the soft tyres in Q3 after running mediums for his best Q2 time.
"I kept having these little snaps just where you don't want it, and I had to drop my minimum speed quite a lot," Albon explained.
"There was obviously bit less track time than we would have liked, and just a bit of catch-up with the new car and getting up to speed with it.
"It wasn't bad. Everyone wanted mediums, and then we put softs on the second run of Q2, and I think I did my last time doing a lap on the softs was in Q1.
"So it was quite a long time since we did a run on a new set of tyres."
Related video
Previous article
Bottas "surprised" by qualifying gap to Hamilton
Next article
Wolff: Engine convergence system "a humiliation" for manufacturers
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Bahrain GP |
| Drivers | Alex Albon |
| Author | Luke Smith |
Sebastian Vettel explains why Aston Martin
Aston Martin AMR21 Unveiling
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat
The pointed note that starts Ferrari's Leclerc vs Sainz era
Ferrari is starting its post-Sebastian Vettel age by welcoming Carlos Sainz in alongside Charles Leclerc. But while Sainz has a tough challenge to match his new teammate, Ferrari is also sending a message that previous intra-team spats must end
The mantra Ocon must follow to challenge Alonso at Alpine
OPINION: It's been an uneasy ride for Esteban Ocon since his F1 comeback - and fresh challenges lie in wait as he's joined by double world champion Fernando Alonso in the newly rebranded Alpine team. STUART CODLING sets out a roadmap to success…
