Valtteri Bottas hopes latest upgrades can end Alfa Romeo’s point-less run
Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas has an ice towel around his neck to keep cool before the race. Barcelona May 2022.
With Alfa Romeo introducing a further upgrade in Austin to go with their Suzuka innovation, Valtteri Bottas targets a return to the points.
Alfa Romeo began the 2022 season and Formula 1’s new regulatory era as a leading midfield outfit, Bottas scoring points in seven of the opening nine races with a best result of P5 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
After that race talk revolved around whether Alfa Romeo could put themselves on the podium in 2022, but the Swiss outfit’s form has declined as the season has gone on.
只进了一个点在他们的last nine races, Bottas without a score in that period, Alfa Romeo now find themselves P6 in theConstructors’ standingswith animproving Aston Martin team closing in, now just seven points behind.
Alfa Romeo brought a new front wing to Suzuka, though Bottas admitted that the wet conditions in practice and the race meant that the full effects could not be gauged.
But the team have followed that up by bringing an upgraded floor to the Circuit of The Americas, so Bottas hopes these changes will turn the tide and put Alfa Romeo back in the conversation for points.
“We had a new front wing in Suzuka, but obviously in the weather conditions it was pretty tricky to prove how it was, but we think it is a step forward,” he told reporters ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
“And also in this race, we have a new floor diffuser, which hopefully will give us a bit of a step. Hopefully that puts us closer to the top 10 and actually we can get back to scoring again.”
Although Bottas feels that good luck has been scarce with three DNFs coming during his point-less streak, he does not deny that rival teams have gained the upper hand on Alfa Romeo as the season has gone on.
“There’s obviously many DNFs, but for sure some other teams have been able to improve more than us,” Bottas stated.
“但我认为现在升级我们的年代uzuka and what we have here, hopefully that will give us an opportunity to score again. That’s something that we really need.”
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