Getting 2020 Red Bull drive weight off my shoulders – Albon

Alexander Albon feels with the relative security of holding a Red Bull race seat for 2020 he can head into the new season under less pressure and focus on his key areas to improve to close the gap to teammate Max Verstappen.

The British-Thai driver has enjoyed an impressive rise up the ranks having only secured his F1 debut last year with Toro Rosso before a mid-season promotion to Red Bull with Pierre Gasly heading in the opposite direction.

Albon’s performances over the second half of his rookie F1 campaign duly convinced Red Bull to retain him for 2020 alongside Verstappen.

Looking to make further progress throughout his second season in F1, Albon has outlined his key areas of improvements both on and off track with Red Bull.

“There’s general pace and things like qualifying, there’s things in terms of race craft that I want to work on with starts, and just team interaction,” Albon told Sky Sports. “How can I give better feedback, how can the team understand me better and how can I make the team understand me better. Just to chip away and get better. I’m more comfortable with the team now. It’s all going smoothly in my mind.

“Once it was clear that I was in the team for another year, it straightaway moved the attention to this year and was kind of a weight off my shoulders and it felt like the team was trusting you, and they do, it’s very much a family and I do feel the support from everyone in the team.”

Since his mid-season promotion to Red Bull, Albon secured eight top six finishes and was cruelly denied a potential maiden F1 podium when he was hit by Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Albon still finished the season as top rookie and eighth overall in his maiden F1 season.

Albon will help Red Bull unveil its 2020 F1 challenger, the RB16, this Wednesday in a digital launch while also taking part in the team’s planned shakedown with its new car at Silverstone before heading to pre-season testing at Circuit de Catalunya which starts on February 19.