Albon expecting more straightforward Bahrain F1 weekend

Alexander Albon expects to enjoy a more straightforward race weekend in Bahrain after being surprised by the number of ancillary activities ahead of his Formula 1 debut earlier this month.

Albon made his first F1 start in Australia with Toro Rosso, where he qualified 12th and finished 14th, having spent the last two years racing in Formula 2.

The Anglo-Thai raced admitted ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix that he found all of the off-track activities surprisingly intense, but was content behind the wheel of the STR14 car.

"I found the scheduling pretty intense over my first F1 weekend, with interviews, media sessions and I wasn't expecting how much engagement there would be with the fans. It was a major hike up from Formula 2," Albon said.

"The actual driving the car part felt familiar to me and once I had my helmet on, it was very simple and straightforward. During the sessions when I was driving, was when I felt most at home, as I could focus just on driving the car.

"I expect the whole weekend will feel a little bit easier for me, partly because I know the track and partly because I have Australia under my belt, so even though I'm not going to say I'll feel like a veteran F1 driver there, it should be a more straightforward weekend in terms of knowing what to expect."

Albon said he felt disappointed to miss out on points on his F1 debut after being in contention for a top-10 finish through the early part of the race before fading later on.

"Generally, I was happy with how the weekend went in Australia, although I felt a bit on the back foot going into the free practice sessions," Albon explained.

"Qualifying went well, that's also why I was a bit disappointed not to finish in the points, but Melbourne went well enough for me to be looking forward to the next race in Bahrain in a positive frame of mind."