‘Thanks for sticking with me’: British-born Thai driver Alex Albon thanks Red Bull team for believing in him as he takes his first EVER podium at the Tuscan Grand Prix following a frustrating start to his 2020 season
- Alex Albon finally got his maiden podium in Formula One at the Tuscan GP
- The Red Bull driver passed Daniel Ricciardo on lap 51 to seal a podium place
- It comes at the right time due to his struggles so far during the 2020 season
- Pressure piled on Albon following Pierre Gasly’s Italian GP victory last week
- REPORT: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th Formula One win after crazy Tuscan GP
Alex Albon thanked his Red Bull team for their confidence in him, after he scored his maiden Formula One podium at the Tuscan Grand Prix.
The British-born Thai driver produced a daring move around the outside of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo to seal third place, finishing not far behind the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
It comes at the right time for Albon, who has struggled this season in the Red Bull in comparison to his team-mate Max Verstappen.
Alex Albon was delighted after taking his first ever F1 podium at the Tuscan GP with 3rd place
He had to fight for the podium, passing Daniel Ricciardo for the position with eight laps to go
Pierre Gasly’s victory for the Red Bull feeder team AlphaTauri at the Italian Grand Prix last week only piled more pressure onto the 24-year-old.
After Albon crossed the line to take his first trophy in F1, team boss Christian Horner told him over the radio: ‘Well done Alex, you did it the hard way today. A really well-deserved podium.’
Albon replied: ‘Thanks everyone. Thanks for everything. Thanks for sticking with me.’
Third time was the charm for Albon who collided with Lewis Hamilton on two prior occasions
His comments came after some speculation over whether Red Bull should demote Albon to the junior team and swap him back around with Gasly.
Gasly struggled in the Red Bull before the team’s bosses placed Albon in the senior team for the Belgian Grand Prix last season.
Since then Gasly has got two podiums while it’s been a case of missed opportunities for Albon.
At both the Brazilian Grand Prix last season and the Austrian Grand Prix this year, Albon was in place for a podium before coming on the wrong end of a collision with Hamilton on both occasions.
It takes a weight off his shoulders following his struggles so far during the 2020 F1 season
Third time was a charm for him at the Tuscan Grand Prix however, after he scrapped his way onto the podium with an impressive move on former Red Bull driver Ricciardo.
After finally getting his coveted podium, Albon said: ‘Obviously a while to get here – and it was a tough one.
‘I had to work for it. I can breathe, it feels nice to be here. We just didn’t get off the line (at the starts) so most of the overtakes had to be done on the circuit. Our car is good on the brakes, we’ve known that since day one, so we can do the kind of moves like that. It’s fun to drive.’
With the result Albon now sits in fifth place in the drivers standings on 63 points, while team-mate Verstappen sits in third on 110 points.