Albon thought F1 podium finish was possible had he stopped under Safety Car

Alexander Albon believes Red Bull’s decision not to stop him under the Safety Car cost him a shot at the podium at Formula 1's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Albon was running in seventh before teammate Max Verstappen caused a late Safety Car following a rear tyre failure.

Red Bull opted to keep Albon out on his worn hard tyres, while the McLarens, Daniil Kvyat and Sergio Perez stopped for soft tyres.

Even with the difficulties in overtaking at Imola, Albon believes he could have made gains had he stopped for fresh rubber.

“It was one of those races where we spent the whole race behind other cars,” Albon said. “There wasn’t much to do there. Possibly, in hindsight, we should have stopped when the others did at the end of the race.”

“Of course we were the first cold tyre car for them to come across, so it was always going to be difficult to hold them off. If we stopped, we could have been looking for a podium, but that’s just the way it is.”

Albon then spun when dicing with Carlos Sainz, ultimately finishing down in 15th and last of the classified runners. 

The Red Bull driver was told he got hit by another driver, but the TV footage showed he spun on his own accord.

“I got told I did, but maybe that’s wrong. If I wasn’t hit, it was just cold tyres and lack of downforce. I thought a McLaren had shown its nose, but maybe I’m wrong.”

Despite failing to pick up points at Imola, Albon thought it wasn’t “a bad weekend” for him.

“Of course I’m hanging in there, I’m doing everything I can,” Albon added. “It was, in retrospect, not a bad weekend for me. But we’ll focus ahead on Turkey.”