Toro Rosso STR14 held 'no nasty surprises' for Albon

Toro Rosso rookie Alex Albon says he is happy with the team's new STR14 after discovering in pre-season testing that the car held "no nasty surprises".

Albon enjoyed a productive baptism of fire in Barcelona, logging in the miles and getting acquainted with his new environment and his 2019 F1 contender.

As far as the 22-year-old apprentice is concerned, Toro Rosso has put together an all-round good race car.

"We're just happy with the car, there's no nasty surprises," said the 22-year-old apprentice.

"In high speed, low speed and medium speed, the car's more or less consistent. There's no nasty surprises so the confidence is really good.

"There's not an area specifically we really need to target, but we need to fine tune the car."

Toro Rosso applauds rookie Albon for 'fantastic approach'

Albon's first official outing in the STR14 saw the British-Thai racer spin into the gravel trap on his out lap!

It was but a harmless mishap however and he eventually went on to work diligently, racking up the miles over the course of the two weeks of testing and even outpacing at the end of the day his experienced team mate, F1 returnee Daniil Kvyat.

"It's just been steady," he added. "We hit the ground running pretty fast to be honest, I think we already had a good baseline coming into the first day of testing.

"Since that, we've just been trying things out and seeing what works for us."

Albon was a late addition to the 2019 F1 grid, having initially been scheduled to race in Formula E with Nissan e.dams.

However, his results in last year's FIA Formula 2 championship were picked up by Red Bull's Helmut Marko, and the rest as they say is history.

"I still don't really believe it, it won't hit me until I'm there," he admitted, looking ahead to his F1 race debut at Melbourne.

"It's not the easiest circuit, and it'll be a bit eye-opening, but I'm excited."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.