Plenty of track time for Albon despite setbacks

Alex Albon got his first taste of the Red Bull RB16 on day two of Formula One pre-season testing in Spain and, after a delayed start to his session, the Thai-British driver quickly got to grips with the car.

Testing got off to a slow start on Thursday morning, but things were noticeably delayed at Red Bull where Albon completed several installation laps and failed to set a time for the first hour of the day.

"It was just the normal winter testing, winter training. You move a bit, you get a bit bigger or fatter maybe - broader shoulders - but everything was okay," said Albon. "I think the running went relatively smoothly. The car's feeling good.

Starting his journey with the Red Bull team at the Belgium Grand Prix, this is the first pre-season that Albon has spent with his current team. As well as confirming that both he and teammate Max Verstappen have given very similar feedback on the RB16, Albon was pleased with the progress made since he joined the team.

"I think there are always little bits you can work on," added Albon. "Considering the way I felt in Spa, driving the car for the first time, to now - there are always areas where you realise you were struggling a little bit and we addressed that really well over the winter.

"It's feeling better, it's feeling nice to drive so that's positive."

The afternoon sessions saw the boards put across the front of the garage - something which, under new regulations for 2020, can only happen when the floor is off the car.

Albon confirmed that there had been a slight engine problem, but despite this setback, he still managed to complete 134-laps.

"We just had a little delay with the engine," said Albon. "Nothing too major. We got it repaired and were back out."

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