(Motorsports news) With four points for Valtteri Bottas’ eighth-place finish in Bahrain, Alfa got the 2023 season off to a strong start. Teammate Zhou Guanyu also made strides forward from his debut year in 2022. However, the Sauber-run team frequently found itself on the losing end of the scoreboard in F1’s intense midfield duel, scoring points in just four out of ten races.
Alfa Romeo was dropped by Alex Albon and Williams to ninth in the constructors’ standings at Silverstone, where it had brought a substantial upgrade package, while Bottas’ comeback push from 20th to 12th went unrewarded. There are little indications of a quick improvement in Hungary and Belgium for Alfa, whose C43 is a sturdy platform but still lacks aerodynamical load in comparison to its rivals. The team’s next modifications will come after the summer break.
After the British Grand Prix, Bottas commented, “We made a breakthrough, but other teams need to take steps, too. “Since that is the objective, we must learn more. “After the summer break, we won’t have anything coming up for the next two events, so the guys and girls in the factory need to work really hard to bring some new bits.”
With the exception of the summer update, Bottas agreed that the Hinwil team should begin evaluating if its efforts are better directed toward its 2024 car or whether it is worthwhile to continue pushing with its present vehicle. We are about halfway through the season, and we haven’t been able to significantly advance up the order, Bottas said. We’ll decide when it will be our sole emphasis for the upcoming year at some point. And I have no doubt that the negotiations will start soon.
“We expected to perform better than last year, but the winter and early part of the season prevented us from doing so. “We’re not accomplishing the goals we set for ourselves. The team’s Silverstone improvements, which comprised adjustments to the floor and the rear of the car, according to Trackside Engineering Director, Xevi Pujolar, performed as anticipated.
He was adamant that Alfa had taken a “big step” by reaching the budget cap, but he acknowledged that it still needed to take another to escape its current predicament. In the factory, he claimed, “With output and everything else, we’re now level with our rivals in every respect. “There’s no doubt it was a major move. But there is still one more step before progress is made. As you can see, the battle in the middle continues.
Also read: 24-race calendar puts F1 at its maximum, according to team executives
