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Alex Albon still seems unable to make any inroads into the 'A' race

Alex Albon "still seems unable to make any inroads into the 'A' race"

19-11-2019 19:21
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Alex Albon has really impressed since joining Red Bull Racing. He has consistently scored points and was set to make it onto the podium at the Brazilian Grand Prix until he was hit by Lewis Hamilton.  

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes that Albon has performed better than Pierre Gasly but thinks he is still a way off the top drivers. 

"Albon has undoubtedly been stronger in the Red Bull than Gasly and would have been on the podium in Brazil had it not been for Hamilton's overzealous passing attempt into Bico de Pato on the penultimate lap. But his qualifying deficit to Verstappen is 0.42secs - more than twice that of Ricciardo," Palmer said in his BBC Sport column. 

"Albon has been impressive in race conditions, to an extent. His race-craft has been particularly strong since he joined Red Bull, often charging from the back of the grid after a penalty to finish on the back of the main race, and he has made some sumptuous overtakes - including around the outside of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in Brazil.

"But at the moment he still seems unable to make any inroads into the 'A' race. While Verstappen took pole position and was heading to victory in Brazil, Albon qualified sixth and was heading for a finish there until Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes engine expired and mixed up the race."

Albon will hope to continue to improve as a driver and break into the "A" race with more development and time in a top seat next season.