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After a lot of speculation over his participation, Alex Albon finally confirmed on Thursday that he was fit to drive. The F1 Singapore GP tends to be one of the more physical races in F1.
The Williams driver, on the other hand, was recovering from the appendectomy surgery he had just two weeks ago during the F1 Italian GP.
Greeting the media on the eve of the F1 Singapore GP weekend, Alex Albon thanked everyone for their wishes and support.
He admitted that he was aware of the challenges at hand and said:
"Firstly, I’d just like to thank everyone for all their messages and support over the Italian Grand Prix weekend. My preparation for Singapore has been a little different than normal but I’m feeling good and I’ve done everything possible to get ready for one of the most physical races on the calendar."
Singapore is the closest the F1 calendar gets to Thailand, Alex Albon's home race, and the driver was excited to see a few home fans in attendance.
He said:
"I am not underestimating how big of a challenge this is going to be, but I am looking forward to hitting the track on Friday and getting back driving. It’s a great street circuit and the closest race to home for me in Thailand, so I’m really excited to be here and to see the fans that have turned out."
Alex Albon details what happened during the operation
Alex Albon had faced a few complications post-surgery, but the mitigating actions from the doctors meant the recovery was fast. Talking about the operation, Albon admitted he did not remember much as he was heavily drugged.
He said:
"Luckily I was quite drugged up so I don’t remember much of it. I just remember obviously going into surgery – and it’s a relatively simple procedure, I think it only takes a couple of hours to be operated on."
He added:
"But obviously you don’t have that [capacity], to understand time, when you’re sedated. It was more the impact on the people around me. When I did wake up, I thought that was the procedure finished – they said ‘uh, you’ve actually gone through a little bit more than that’."
He further added:
"So, yeah, I think in the end I was supposed to be in induced sedation for two-three days, but in the end, my lungs cleared out within 12 hours. So, I was already up pretty much shortly after. And as I said, it wasn’t such a big thing for me, it was more my family who came to the race, that kind of thing, and obviously, they were a little bit in shock. That was about it.”
Singapore is a tough race for drivers. Alex Albon will be hoping that there are no lasting effects on him.
