Albon vows to be 'a thorn in Mercedes backside'

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Alex Albon says Red Bull is "in the mix" for Sunday's Bahrain GP and can be "a thorn in Mercedes' backside" with a good launch off the grid.

Albon recovered from a massive crash on Friday that required a chassis change to qualify fourth in yesterday's shootout session, just one spot and 0.596s behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen.

The British-Thai racer's P4 result equaled his career best in F1 and marked his best qualifying performance since last September's Tuscany GP at Mugello.

"Obviously coming from where we were 24 hours ago it’s a good result," Albon said.

"I still would have liked to be a bit closer up there, but P4 obviously we’re in the mix and hopefully we can have a good start and be in there, being a thorn in Mercedes’ backside.

"Truthfully speaking, FP1 was pretty decent, and FP3 was pretty decent, so fourth didn’t seem unrealistic,” he added.

"It felt like something which I was thinking was definitely achievable before qualifying.

"Of course, it was nice to have it, and the car has been feeling good this weekend, especially since today really, it’s kind of clicked a bit more."

'Lack of rear grip' cost Verstappen shot at Bahrain pole

Albon was obviously apologetic for the mishap on Friday that forced some long extra working hours on his Red Bull crew, but the 24-year-old was always confident that he would quickly put the blunder behind.

"It was a silly mistake to begin with yesterday, so I knew that I could put it behind me pretty quickly and focus on today," he said.

"It’s just you’ve got to own up to a mistake, and more just about putting it behind you really,” he said.

"You apologise but at the same time you’re focused on the next day. OK we had the crash, but you don’t really think about that, or you don’t focus on that part.

"You think about how the car was before, and what areas do we need to work on so we can hit FP3 running. That’s kind of the mindset.

"There’s no point dwelling on it or regretting or thinking you could have done this or that, because that’s not very helpful."

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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.