Albon admits he must improve

Red Bull driver Alexander Albon admits he has to impress for the rest of 2019 in order to secure a full-time drive. The Thai racer started his maiden F1 season at Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso, having had an impressive season in the Formula 2 championship, finishing third. He started the season well, finishing in the top ten in five of his first 12 races while only retiring from one of them. However, Pierre Gasly’s poor form at Red Bull led to a driver swap and Albon found himself racing alongside Max Verstappen. While he has not matched his more illustrious team mate’s raw pace, he has done well, finishing in the top six in all six races since debuting at the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite those encouraging results, the 23-year-old admits he has to do more to be considered a long-term driver at Red Bull. “I am happy with how things are going. Whether it is good enough, we will notice that automatically. I’m not too focused on that, if I’m honest. I mainly focus on the races,” he said. “If they are then satisfied with my results, they will, of course, hold me. But I have to keep improving. I also have the idea that there is more in the barrel. I will continue to push for the next few races.”