Bottas: We were forced to make some compromises

The Sauber team prepared a modernized underbody for the Imola stage, but it was only installed on Valtteri Bottas’ car on Friday, but in the third practice session Guanyu Zhou will also receive the new product.

Valtteri Bottas (16th): “In short, the most important conclusions can be formulated as follows: there was a fairly strong wind on the track, and it itself was quite uneven. But I’m glad we’re back in Imola.

Taking into account the difficult conditions, we were forced to make some compromises when setting up the car, and we have only just started to evaluate technical innovations, but tomorrow during the third training session this will be our main task.

We expect the weather to change slightly on Saturday and be more like what it will be during qualifying and the race. We still have some work to do tonight, but I am confident that we can increase the speed of the car and prepare well for qualifying.”

Guanyu Zhou (19th): “It’s great that we’re going to race in Imola again after a two-year break. Today there were more difficulties than expected, as we lost time due to red flags, but also due to the need to make adjustments to the car settings. However, the second session went smoother.

We have tried different settings but we still need to work on the balance of the car, but I am confident that we can make some progress tomorrow.

Since the last time we competed in Imola, the irregularities on the track have clearly increased and today the wind direction was constantly changing, and this was especially noticeable in the last two corners.

Tomorrow the new underbody will be fitted to my car and I should feel an increase in downforce and grip. Thanks to these adjustments and the efforts of the team, I will be able to drive with more confidence.”