The race in Abu Dhabi was the fifth in a row in which Alfa Romeo drivers did not earn any points. At the end of the season the team took ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are happy that 2023 is over and are optimistic about the new season.
Guanyu Zhou (17th): “The lack of speed in the race was not a particular surprise for us – on Saturday we had similar problems. The surprise was rather the high pace of Williams’ rivals. In qualifying they looked at Haas’ level and in the race they managed to make up positions. Of course our result wasn’t what we wanted, but the car simply didn’t have the speed.
A few stages ago, the team switched completely to preparing for the next season. I’m looking forward to the new car. If we manage to pick up the pace even a little bit, we won’t be fighting at the end of the pack, but in the middle. We will see how everything goes in the winter, but I am optimistic and confident that we will take a big step forward.”
Valtteri Bottas (19th): “The biggest problem in the race was the lack of pace. The team tried to split the strategy between me and my partner, but the one pit stop strategy didn’t work. The tires simply couldn’t handle the distance and the car had no speed. Unfortunately, this story lasted all year, so I’m glad it’s all over and we’ll start next year with a clean slate.
A lot has changed in the team lately, and these are positive changes. The concept car for next season looks interesting, so I have hope. We have to work hard and try again.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
