Having already received adulation from team boss Christian Horner, Alex Albon has the early blessing of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

The Thai driver had a combination of skill and luck on his side as he made his through from 17th to fifth in his first race for the team in Belgium this past Sunday.

It was particularly notable that Albon had a much more instinctive approach on track compared to the more conservative Pierre Gasly, something that endeared him well to the imperious Austrian.

"He was great on the soft tyres, overtaking many people in a great way," Marko told Swiss broadcaster ORF.

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"Alex was not able to have the pace that we should have on the straights and we tried to remedy that with the radio, but we did not fully understand each other to make the necessary changes.

"But especially at the end of the race against Ricciardo, Albon was really great. Of course, he was a little lucky to be fifth, but it was still great."

Certainly, Albon's recovery was exactly what Red Bull needed after Max Verstappen took himself out at La Source on the opening lap, colliding with Kimi Raikkonen and later crashing at Eau Rouge.