Toro Rosso rookie Alexander Albon says he was impressed with his ability to drive at "95 percent" during his maiden F1 Grand Prix.
Albon graduated to the F1 grid after racing for two season in the fresh from the FIA Formula 2 Championship, a competitive series in which tyre management is paramount.
While the British-Thai racer was also forced to contend with his rubber on his F1 debut, he admitted that he had been able to push more than he expected.
"What impressed me most was the driving," Albon explained.
"In Formula 2 you’re driving at 90 percent most of the time, to save the tyres. In Formula 1 it’s more like 95 percent, so generally you can push a bit more.
"The thing is when you are following cars, it’s really, really bad. Battling is really difficult and you can’t spend more than two laps in a row [behind a car] without overheating the tyres, so I was just learning this."
Warned of the inherent difficulties of following another car closely, Albon found that task easier than anticipated, perhaps thanks to Formula 1's new regulations.
"Following cars was actually better than I expected," he said. "Part of that was the new regulations, but it’s still not easy to overtake.
"I think Melbourne is not the easiest example for this, but when you’re battling with other cars, maintaining your tyres is more difficult to do."
Albon concluded his afternoon in Melbourne out of the points, but the 22-year-old's performance and behavior was commended by Toro Rosso technical director Jody Egginton.
"He did a really solid job," Egginton told Autosport.
"He's good, he's methodical, he's not emotional, and he's learning so quickly. I'm really impressed so far.
"At the start of the race he had to manage his brakes for a while, but he bounced back from that. He learned a lot in terms of tyre management, and how to run the race.
"It's probably the first time he's experienced blue flags as well.
"He's done a tidy job and given a good account of himself, and at least as solid as some of the other rookies.
"I'm sure we can carry on with that trajectory. He knows Bahrain [he competed there in Formula 2] so I expect another step there."
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