Alexander Albon feels opening practice for each Formula 1 race weekend is “always a struggle” at the moment as he co🐲ntinues to adjust to Red 🏅Bull’s car following his mid-season promotion from Toro Rosso.

Albon was promoted from Toro Rosso 🎀into a seat with the senior Red Bull team just 12 races into his rookie F1 season, replacing the struggling Pierre Gasly from th👍e Belgian Grand Prix onwards.

Albon has made a solid start to life with Red Bull, scoring two P5 and two P6 finishes in his first four races, ꧋with his charge to fifth in Russia coming from the pit l♊ane after crashing out in qualifying.

The Anglo-Thai racer said after last Sunday’s race in Sochi that he could feel himself growing increasingly comfortable in the Red Bull RB15 car – but that opening ꦜpractice remained tricky as he got to grips at each new circuit.

“It feels like at the moment, FP1 is alw꧒ays a struggle,” Albon said.

“It gets better through the weekend, and by the end o♊f the weekend it’s more or less OK. 🅠I just need to get into that rhythm and speed earlier in the weekend.

“It will come, just more laps. [Russia] was a tough weekend, tr🐎uthfully, but I’m happy with🐭 the progress.”

Albon’s learning curve will be steepened by the fact that he has only driven on one of the remaining five circuits on the F1 calendar this year – Abu Dhabi – with next week’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka marking aꦦn important race for Red Bull’s engine partner, Honda.

“I think only Abu Dhabi of the upcoming ra🅷ces will be a track I’ve been to,” Albon said.

“I know [Suzuka] is not an easy track to learn, as well as still learning the car, but I🍸’m up for it.”