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Toro Rosso recruit Albon had to "beg" DAMS for 2018 seat

New Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Alexander Albon "begged" DAMS team manager Francois Sicard for a Formula 2 race seat in 2018, despite not having the budget.

Jack Benyon

Edited: Dec 30, 2018, 2:53 PM

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Alexander Albon, DAMS

Albon’s outstanding year in F2 yielded three pole positions, four wins and eight podiums to take third in the standings off the back of a poor season with ART Grand Prix in the same championship the previous year.

Despite his early successes, Albon competed in the first three rounds of the year on a race-by-race deal, only confirming his seat for the full campaign after the Barcelona event.

His performances impressed the DAMS outfit enough to give him a deal for its Formula E program run in conjunction with Nissan for 2019, but Red Bull stepped in to poach Albon to replace Brendon Hartley in its Toro Rosso F1 team.

“I remember January/February, on the phone to Francois [Sicard] literally begging to have the seat for this year and I didn’t have the money for it, and he put me in it anyway," Albon said.

“From then on it was always about proving a point and staying in the championship.

“It’s been a big rollercoaster. To end with third, disappointed as I think we deserved to finish second.

“I’m happy with this year, it’s all down to DAMS.

“I believe GP3 was my true pace [second to Charles Leclerc in 2016], F2 last year for different reasons things didn’t go as planned [10th with ART]. This year was a continuation of 2016.”

Albon established himself as a title contender right from the start of the year, taking three pole positions in a row at Baku, Barcelona and Monaco.

“The three poles in a row were really cool for me,” he added. “It stood out to me, raw pace-wise we were really strong.

“It faded out a bit towards the end of the year.

“The first feature race win in F2 was another highlight, in Baku. It wasn’t a normal win but to come out in front was mega.”

Alex Albon, Scuderia Toro Rosso

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images

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