Even before qualifying for Spa, both Alfa Romeo drivers knew they would lose positions for the replacement of power plants (Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou) and gearboxes (Zhou). After all penalties were applied, Bottas, who set the 20th fastest time, moved up to 14th place at the start and Zhou dropped from 14th to 19th.
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: “Qualifying was unusual as many penalties affected the starting grid. The team did a great job and won a good starting position.
Already in the morning we knew that Valtteri would start 14th regardless of his qualifying position, so we focused on teamwork to maximize the result. Valtteri scattered Zhou, which helped him reach the second part, where Guanyu showed the thirteenth time. Zhou is also penalized, so he starts 19th.
Anyway, our car is fast and both our drivers are ready to fight with rivals. We still set ourselves the goal of earning points. Tomorrow’s race should be exciting, so there will be no shortage of opportunities. You have to be ready to make the most of it.”
Valtteri Bottas (20th): “I knew I was going to start 14th anyway, so I worked for the team and dispersed my partner. He was fighting for position at the start, so it made sense to help him.
We knew qualifying was not important to me, so we focused on preparing for the race. I hope the work done will pay off. Now I can say that the car is fast on the race distance. Of course we didn’t see the full potential today given the circumstances, but I’m sure we can earn points from 14th position.”
Guanyu Zhou (13th): “I think we can be happy with the starting positions, given the course of the morning practice. In addition, I believe I could have performed better, but on a fast lap I made a few small mistakes and severely blocked the wheels in the first corner.
In cold weather we have balance problems, but we tried our best. Valtteri broke me out – we didn’t plan it, but I was happy to get his help and get to the second part. In general I am happy with today, although I start at the end of the pack because of a penalty.
Anything can happen on this track, so I hope we’ll show good speed, regain a few positions and get back to the points.
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.
