Formula 1

THE HONEYMOON PERIOD IS NOW OVER FOR ALEXANDER ALBON

Published

3 years ago

07/01/2020

f1_lead_2020_grandprix_gp_formula_1_THE-HONEYMOON-PERIOD-IS-NOW-OVER-FOR-ALEXANDER-ALBON

What a rollercoaster of a two years Alexander Albon has gone through. He went from having an initial race-by-race deal in Formula 2 at the start of 2018 to emerge as a championship contender, finding himself on the verge of a Formula E switch, before receiving a late call up to complete Toro Rosso’s line-up for the 2019 season and ultimately ending the year at Red Bull.

The honeymoon period is now over for Alexander Albon. Despite having never driven F1 machinery before 2019, Alexander Albon seamlessly transitioned into the championship and made an impressive start to life at Toro Rosso. His strong early form coincided with new Red Bull signing Pierre Gasly’s struggles, which led to the Milton Keynes squad swapping the duo around in Belgium.

A few rookie errors aside, Albon performed admirably given the circumstances and a run of eight top six appearances from the final nine races – a streak only blemished by a tangle with Lewis Hamilton in Brazil while Albon looked on course to score his maiden podium – saw him land a full-time seat at the team for 2020.

Albon proved more competitive and consistent than Gasly had alongside the ever-improving sensation that is Max Verstappen, and impressed within the team with his technical feedback and maturity to warrant a stay for 2020.

But the honeymoon period is now over for Albon. The weight of expectation falls heavy on the shoulders of any young driver at Red Bull and Albon must now raise his game to be more of a threat to Verstappen (particularly if the Red Bull-Honda package does emerge as a title challenger) and successfully steer clear of the same treatment that has befallen on those who have failed to perform before him.