Williams driver Alex Albon said Thursday he was surprised to be able to race in Singapore this weekend after missing the Italian Grand Prix because of complications after surgery.

“I don’t think truthfully we had Singapore in mind,” said the 26-year-old Thai, who spent a night in intensive care in an Italian hospital earlier this month with respiratory failure after his appendix was removed.

“Just the speed of recovery made it a possible thing.”

London-born Albon, who races under the Thai flag because of his mother’s nationality, practised on the Friday of race weekend at Monza but was taken ill on the Saturday morning almost three weeks ago.

Albon had to be placed on a ventilator to help with breathing but said his lungs had cleared up quickly enough to enable him to begin training again last week.

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