Red Bull has yet to uncover the full potential of Alex Albon, but the British-Thai racer is getting stronger and stronger according to team boss Christian Horner.
Albon has struggled this season to approach the one-lap pace of teammate Max Verstappen. The 24-year-old's difficulties prompted close friend George Russell to say that his mate was "being made to look like an idiot" at Red Bull, insisting his talent warranted better results.
However, after a low-key performance in qualifying last weekend in Hungary that yielded a lowly P13 position on the grid, Albon drove a spirited race on Sunday to finish fifth, a result that delighted Horner.
"I’m very pleased with Alex," said the Red Bull Racing boss. "He’s picked up a bit of criticism which has been very harsh on him," Horner told Sky F1 in Hungary.
"We made a mistake in the timing (in qualifying), we put too much pressure on him. We have to take responsibility to that.
"He’s done the passing manoeuvres when he needed to, he’s responded very well. I really believe that Alex has got a lot more potential that we just haven’t uncovered yet.
"He will get, and is getting, stronger and stronger."
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Horner conceded that the team's RB16 was currently a difficult proposition for its drivers, and one that Verstappen has adapted to easier than Albon.
"He’s had a tough start to the year in that we haven’t given him a car that suited him, and Max’s ability to drive around problems sometimes masks them," Horner explained.
"I actually think Alex has driven very well in the races this year and hopefully as we improve the car, the Saturdays will improve.
"But his race craft, his race pace in Austria last week, if you look when he was in clear air in the second half of the race, and his performance in Hungary, I think he’s done a great job and I struggle to understand any criticism of him that you guys (the media) may have."
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