Alexander Albon finished in 9th position under the lights at the Bahrain Grand Prix, scoring his first points finish in his Formula One career for Scuderia Toro Rosso.

The Thai driver put in a strong race performance from 12th position on the grid following yesterday's Qualifying session. Alex had a difficult start to the race, dropping the back of the midfield battle after the congestion at Turns 1-3.

Alex however worked hard to maximise his strategy, running behind the sister Red Bull Racing car of Pierre Gasly for most of the race. Alex made his first pitstop on Lap 9 for the Medium compound tyres, before making his final pitstop on Lap 26 - running these tyres to the end of the race.

In the closing stages of the race, the two Renault's both suffered mechanical failures within moments of each other. This promoted Alex into 9th position, before the Safety Car was deployed to recover the stricken cars.
With two laps to go however, it meant the race finished under the Safety Car - so Alex crossed the line to score his maiden points finish in Formula One, picking up two points for 9th position in the Grand Prix.
‍

‍Alexander Albon (Car 23):

"That was a busy race – I felt like I was always fighting with someone at some point, there was always something to do! I didn’t have the best start as I was a bit shy into the first corner, but after that, I put my head down and got on with it.
We had a good strategy and decent pace on the prime tyre. In the end, we got a bit lucky with the retirements, but I’ll take it!

It was so tricky with the wind out there and it made the car unpredictable, but we were quite strong in the race, it’s just a shame about the start.
It was a challenge to overtake because when you get close to another car the tyres overheat and you get a bit stuck.
However, I enjoyed myself out there and it was good to get that experience. I’m very happy to pick up my first points in Formula 1 and I hope we can carry this pace into China."

The next round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship will take place at Shanghai in China on the 12-14 April. This will mark the occasion of the 1000th F1 race, at a track famous for providing great racing throughout the grid.
‍

Press Release Content: Scuderia Toro Rosso
Media Content: Red Bull Content Pool

‍