Albon will end its first season in a non-single-seater championship this year, sharing a Ferrari GT3 car operated by AF Corse with Envision Virgin Formula E driver Nick Cassidy in the revised DTM.
The Anglo-Thai driver wants to stay fit with a sub-campaign in the German category while continuing to work behind the scenes with Red Bull as a reserve and simulator driver to achieve a Formula 1 return in 2022.
As a newcomer to GT racing, Albon set the third fastest time in the test at the Lausitzring before the season and was less than two tenths behind Maximilian Götz’s pace Mercedes.
The 25-year-old admits not having as much experience with GT3 machines as some of the other drivers in the series but is happy with the way he has adapted to the Ferrari during the tests.
“We have done a lot [of testing]“, Albon told Autosport.
“I don’t think it’s much compared to our competitors. I think I’ve had five and a half days in the car so far.
“Of course there are a lot of GT drivers and DTM drivers who have been doing this for a long time. So we’re a bit behind in terms of experience, but I feel like I picked up the car pretty quickly and I’ve gotten up to speed with it.
PLUS: Why Albon has its work in the newly designed DTM
“Obviously the technology is still different from Formula 1. If you see Formula 1 as a driving style, just how you drive it [GT3] Cars are very different.
Alex Albon, AF Corse, Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo
Photo by: DTM
“The amount of downforce that an F1 car has compared to a DTM car is much more hectic for the DTM car.
“[But] We were pacing pretty quickly, at least in testing, and it’s looking pretty good so far. “
Despite Ferrari’s rivalry with Red Bull in Formula 1, the GT division of the Italian brand will provide technical support for AF Corse operations in the DTM.
Albon says he’s impressed with the professionalism and technology he’s seen on a GT3 team after spending the past two years in Formula 1, including a season and a half with four-time champions Red Bull Racing.
“[Ferrari] are in every race, every test we do and these guys are the people who are involved in Le Mans [programme and] other GT championships so it’s great to have this shared experience that they bring, “he said.
“You drive with the Ferrari teams to almost every race weekend. So there is a lot of experience, a lot of brain power behind the scenes.
“It’s really impressive to see how much understanding technology there is in GT cars.
“I was pretty surprised by the professionalism, but also by the amount of knowledge they have in these cars, it’s pretty impressive.”
The post Albon “up to speed” with Ferrari GT3 car before DTM debut first appeared on monter-une-startup.
