With 52 points from 18 races, Alfa Romeo is on course for (at this point in the season) its best campaign since the Hinwil-based outfit changed its name to the Italian manufacturer. However, your results could be even better if the C42 weren’t so unreliable.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou have had to retire four times due to mechanical problems this season, almost all of them when the two starting drivers were battling for points, something that has given Alpine and McLaren a valuable advantage in the battle for fourth place and it allows Haas, AlphaTauri and, more recently, a resurgent Aston Martin team to stay in the fight.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Bottas revealed that a lack of resources had hurt the team as the races progressed, and said the problem was solvable.
“Ours is a long-term project and we are focused on the next season,” he began. “Among the things we have learned throughout this championship is what led us to start well and then lose ground race after race.”
“One of the problems we have had is related to the production speed of the different components. The team has taken this aspect very seriously. We are aware that we need more resources, because we have projects that have been tested in the wind tunnel. but that did not come true due to lack of personnel. Next year we will have more personnel available and that will undoubtedly be an important step for the growth of the team”.
“We have a good structure, but we need more people. At the moment we are 500, but to give an example, at Williams there are 750. So we know what we need: the team is looking for personnel. The budget for next year is not a issue”.
Close-up of the Alfa Romeo C42 nose
For five seasons, Bottas has enjoyed the success of a team like Mercedes, which has claimed 60 wins and all the constructors’ titles in its history. Now the Finn finds himself in a more modest structure and has to lower his podium ambitions to the bottom of the middle zone.
These new challenges, although less important, do not diminish Bottas’ motivation: “It’s a less pressured environment. It’s less corporate and more like a racing team, but everyone’s motivation is the same.”
“It was very nice to start the season getting some points in Bahrain and I think this weekend’s result has been an extra incentive. The team knows there are other races where we could have finished in the top 10.”
“That spirit is always there. When we don’t score points I see the team is disappointed and that’s the right mindset. Obviously the goals are different than I had last year but in the end the approach is the same: In 2021, the goal was to win; today, to finish in the top 10 if possible,” concluded the Finn, who in 2023 will face his eleventh season in Formula 1.
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