Albon unfamiliar with Montreal but ready to 'play' with the walls

Alex Albon heads to an unfamiliar territory this week, but the Toro Rosso rookie has done his homework and is ready to tackle Montreal's challenges.

The Canadian Grand Prix will be the British-Thai racer's seventh Grand Prix. Albon is still learning his trade in F1 but his performance so far has surpassed expectations.

Thanks to a productive drive to P8 in Monaco, the 23-year-old contributed nicely to Toro Rosso's double top-ten finish in the Principality, a result that was finally in-line with the Faenza-based squad's potential according to Albon.

"The Monaco race weekend finally delivered the results we've been longing to get, after most other races when there'd always been a slight hiccough along the way," he said.

"Getting into Q3 for the first time was pleasing. We had the pace all weekend, which is encouraging, and finishing P7 and P8 puts us in a confident mood for Montreal.

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"I've never been to Montreal before, but I've heard great things about it and, in a way, the last few races kind of build you up to it, as the circuit seems to have a bit of Monaco, but also Barcelona.

"I'm excited to go to a new track and it looks really cool. It seems like a true driver's track, where you 'play' with the walls and every driver loves that."

Albon immersed himself into the virtual world to get acquainted with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's diverse set of characteristics.

"I enjoyed learning the track on the simulator and it looks very technical," he added.

"In terms of setup, the compromise is a bit like Baku as you need the speed down the long straights, but the corners are slow and require plenty of downforce.

"It's the sort of track for which I will need to do my homework. It is very bumpy and there are lots of tricks you need to know to get a fast lap, making good use of the kerbs. I'm excited!"

Regarding his prospects in Montreal, Albon hopes to put the versatility and improving performance of his STR14 to good use in Canada.

"I believe we can have another good result there," he said.

"I've finished between eighth and eleventh in 5 of this year's 6 races, which means our car is consistent and works through all types of corners, on different kinds of tracks, and even different track surfaces.

"It means we have a good basis on which to build on with this car, we are now unlocking its potential with our race pace especially looking pretty good.

"From my side, I am also getting a better understanding of how to set up the car to suit my driving style, so everything is moving in the right direction."

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