Valtteri Bottas feels quite comfortable in Alfa Romeo and in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport spoke about working with the Swiss team, his goals for this year and the characteristics of the new generation car.
Q: You moved from the top team to Alfa Romeo, which belongs to the middle group. What can you say about the difference, how it is felt?
Valtteri Bottas: There is a difference, but it’s not that big. Alfa Romeo/Sauber is a real racing team and can be compared to Williams where I drove for Mercedes. It’s smaller than Mercedes of course, but everyone is completely passionate about what they do because they love motorsport and want to succeed.
I felt the main differences between the pre-season testing and the first race. The tests revealed many problems and this affected the psychological mood of some employees. But when we immediately earned the first points, the mood in the team changed. Everyone saw that we can achieve something this year. And even if we don’t fight for the win in races, we try to show the best possible results.
Q: For the last five years you’ve been fighting in the leading group, and now you’re fighting for places in the second half of the top ten – can you feel the difference?
Valtteri Bottas: There’s a lot more going on in the middle of the pack. You have more opponents that you are constantly fighting and the situation is more unpredictable. The speed of the cars of certain teams that we have to compete with can vary greatly from race to race. You never know who you’ll be dealing with this time.
In the course of the Grand Prix there is always a sharp battle and it is not easy to decide on tactics because you have to take into account that you have many rivals. You can easily regain and lose some time. We need to perceive much more information and consider many more different options for event development.
Q: Sports director Frederic Vasseur said right away that the team should not expect any wins in the first year. Was it difficult to accept such an attitude?
Valtteri Bottas: Not really. I am a realist and I understand that it would be too optimistic to dream of victories. The previous two seasons were quite difficult for the team and it was necessary to set a realistic goal. I had plenty of time to tune in to new challenges.
Q: What result this year do you consider a personal win?
Valtteri Bottas: The podium equals a win.
Q: We can say that at Alfa Romeo you are the captain of the team. How different is this role from the one you had at Mercedes?
Valtteri Bottas: This new role means a lot to me and obliges me a lot. I have to help the team find the right direction – in working with institutions, in working with a team that needs to set the right mood, in building relationships with a young partner. But the higher the level of responsibility, the more satisfaction you get from getting results. Now I feel like I have something to say.
Q: Do you have to go to Alfa Romeo more often?
Valtteri Bottas: I visit the Sauber base more often than the Mercedes base. I always come to Hinwil after two races, ie almost every time there is a two week break between the Grands Prix.
Q: According to Vasser, the team is growing and developing along with its riders. That’s exactly what happened to Ferrari when Michael Schumacher played there. Do you believe in this theory and do you consider yourself the right person for Sauber?
Valtteri Bottas: Unsure. I feel more like a regular employee of the team and not a racer that everything is built around.
Q: How long did it take you to adapt?
Valtteri Bottas: Few. We spent a lot of time together in pre-season testing and I tried to get to know the people as best as I could and understand the team’s methods. But I have to admit that I still meet unknown faces at the base of the team.
Q: In Mercedes, everything was in abundance. When you started working with a team that was more modest in size and capabilities, did you notice anything?
Valtteri Bottas: The difference between the teams is not that big. I agree, Sauber is smaller, but now that the budget cap has been introduced in Formula 1, top teams like Mercedes or Ferrari have to shrink somehow.
Q: Where do the top teams still have the advantage?
Valtteri Bottas: It is easier for them to find and invite talented and experienced specialists. The process of fine-tuning technology is becoming increasingly difficult, despite the fact that the quality of research in a wind tunnel remains consistently high. However, this is not a matter of one dominant factor, it depends on a whole complex of different circumstances.
Q: What is the advantage of small teams?
Valtteri Bottas: For example, we can do some things faster. When I had an idea at Mercedes regarding a new part or the next option, the implementation process took quite a while. It was always attended by many employees from different departments of the team.
And in Alfa Romeo I can come to the base and communicate directly with the people responsible for making decisions. For example, I have a certain idea regarding the mechanical balance of the car and the engineers immediately say, “Yeah, let’s try it.” And everything works.
Q: Do you see any signs that the transition to tight budgets has made the balance of power in Formula 1 fairer?
Valtteri Bottas: Doubtless. An incredibly sharp battle rages in the middle of the pack. This never happened. The backlog of leaders has also decreased. The top three teams are still ahead as they are helped to some extent by the advantage they have had in the past, but I hope we will gradually catch up with them.
Q: How different are the new generation machines from the previous ones?
Valtteri Bottas: Not like day and night. It feels like they are heavier, that they generate less downforce in slow corners. But I adapted quickly.
Q: In different teams there is such a phenomenon: one rider can handle the tasks much better than the other. What is it connected to?
Valtteri Bottas: Perhaps with some features of specific machines. Our C42 is not that hard to handle.
Q: They say 2022 cars are more prone to understeer…
Valtteri Bottas: It has more to do with the 18-inch Pirelli tires than the cars. The front tires hold the track slightly worse and reach maximum grip faster in corners.
Q: And what about the approach of the institutions?
Valtteri Bottas: With them is connected the main difference. When setting up these machines I want to make sure that the ground clearance is as low as possible. Therefore, the suspension needs to be made much stiffer, and this completely changes the approach to the settings. The mechanical balance always depends on the ride height. And in order for the car to handle both fast and slow corners more or less normally, one must try to find the optimal aerodynamic balance.
Q: What can you say about the Alfa Romeo C42’s strengths and weaknesses?
Valtteri Bottas: The disadvantages are low reliability and unstable behavior in fast corners. Strengths – the passage of slow turns and a powerful engine.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
