Alexander Albon says he must get closer to Max Verstappen’s pace in 2020 off the back of his ‘abnormal’ rookie campaign in Formula 1.
Albon stepped up to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso for 2019, with no prior experience in the championship, and was drafted in to Red Bull Racing mid-season.
Albon impressed sufficiently to be retained by Red Bull into 2020 but trailed Verstappen in qualifying, with an average deficit of four-tenths, and finished ahead of his team-mate just once.
“I need to be aware of where I am,” said Albon in an interview produced by Red Bull.
“I’ve only had a year in F1 and less than half a season with the team, but the goal is to close the gap between me and Max.
“We want to start a bit stronger. The guys are already working flat out at the factory, we want to keep the pressure on Mercedes and Ferrari. I’m hoping we’ll come into Melbourne near the front.
“I’m feeling that next year will be a bit more normal. This year was my first year and it definitely wasn’t normal.
“The gap is shrinking and it’s looking positive for next year, we’ve got a good platform to work with, which is really important in terms of developing the car and we want to take the next step. It’s all going in the right direction, I want to mix it at the front next year.”
Albon also hinted that he will try and alter his build-up through a race weekend, accepting that he was overly aggressive at points in practice in 2019.
“I’ve learned not to listen to external noise too much, do my own thing and focus on myself,” said the Anglo-Thai racer.
“It’s a team sport but you have to approach your driving as an individual.
“I have to question where I can improve and what I need to do to improve. I need to take it a bit easier in free practice and try not to overdrive.
“We had a taster of what could be in Brazil and I want to build on that over the winter so I can be better next year.”
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