Valtteri Bottas praises updates: ‘I can feel the difference’

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Valtteri Bottas praises the new version that Alfa Romeo brought to the Formula 1 race in Monaco. The Swiss racing team has significantly improved its C43 and, above all, worked on the rear end with the suspension, rear wing, wing beam and the block area. That seemed to bear fruit in the Majesty on Friday.

Even without the upgrade, both Alfa Romeo drivers did not finish in the top 10 in the first practice session, but Bottas was able to improve to eighth place (+0.588 seconds) in the afternoon. “It was a great, productive day that we needed to finally test our new upgrade,” says Finn.

Although Monaco isn’t the best update track, he says he feels different – “and a positive one at that,” he insists, “although we still have work to do to improve the package and make the most of it. .”

Teammate Guanyu Zhou, who finished 13th (+0.892) in the afternoon, also spoke of a “promising day”. Although he had problems in the first training session to get into the rhythm, “but then the training was a step forward for us”.

He also sees positive first impressions of the improvement package but says: “I feel like there is still room for me and the car to keep improving and be ready for tomorrow. We seem ready to continue where we left Miami and I’m looking forward to qualifying.”

Alunni Bravi: You have to take risks and update

Miami was a great step forward for the team. In the end, you remained scoreless again, but Bottas was able to show with the first Q3 entry of the year that the speed in the C43 is there. “The first three questions of the season were important, also for the team’s motivation,” says team manager Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

“But we also learned a lot about understanding the car,” he emphasizes. “But of course we can’t look at one race. We have to do a better job in every race. We have to make progress because others don’t wait and it will be a fight until the last Grand Prix.”

That is why the decision was made to bring the improvement that was planned for Imola to Monaco. “If you have to stick together, then you have to take risks,” explains the team boss.

“We know that we can fully understand the new package in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ but we have to start looking at whether the relationship between the wind path and the route is correct and whether the expected direction is what matters,” he says. “It will be the first step and hopefully we will discover the whole package in Barcelona.”

Alfa wants to understand the car better

Alfa Romeo is currently only in eighth place in the championship with six points. Alunni Bravi talks about the “ups and downs” that every team in the field has. Most of all, his team has trouble understanding how to get new tires in the right window.