Pierre Gasly is aiming to finish 2019 on a high following his stunning and surprising podium finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which elevated him to sixth in the Drivers' Standings.
The Frenchman, who has had a season of ups and downs following his promotion to Red Bull from Toro Rosso, which was then reversed after just 12 races, is matched with McLaren's Carlos Sainz on 95 points but holds sixth thanks to his second-place finish compared to Sainz's best placing of third.
Albon, who replaced Gasly at Red Bull, is just 11 points adrift and could jump up the order with a strong showing in the season finale this weekend, but Gasly is keen to see himself crowned 'best of the rest' behind the leading drivers.
"It’s the last race of the season so it’s a special weekend," he said. "It’s going to be very important for all of us at Toro Rosso as we want to finish as high as possible in the Constructors’ Championship.
"I’m also in with a chance of ending up as the best driver from outside the top three teams in the Drivers’ classification.
"We want to end the season in a good way, not just for our pride, but also because where you finish in the championship has an impact on our development work and our performance level for next season.
"Our championship fight adds to the excitement this weekend, although I can imagine that ‘exciting’ might not be the right word to describe how Franz [Tost] feels about it!"
Despite what many would describe a tough season for the 23-year-old, Gasly insists he's pleased with how things have gone, particularly since returning to STR.
"There’s always something a bit sad about the final round, as it means we won’t be racing again for around three and a half months. It’s something that will dawn on me on Sunday night, the sense that the season is over.
"But whatever happens on Sunday, I will be happy about how this season has gone, particularly my return to Toro Rosso in the middle of the year, and I will never forget my first visit to an F1 podium after coming second in Brazil.
"But I will also enjoy having some time off once the racing is over. I will spend some time with friends and family in France for a couple of weeks around Christmas time, as I had hardly had any time to see them this year because my work schedule was so busy.
"After that, I’ll start training seriously, going to Red Bull’s training camp in the States from the end of December to be as well prepared as possible for next season.
"The best way to enjoy the winter break is to do well in the last race of the year and that’s another reason to work really hard on this final weekend in Abu Dhabi."
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