Valtteri Bottas believes that the team is “in a good position” to start the season
Valtteri Bottas is getting ready to start his second season with the Sauber team, still alongside Zhou Guanyu. After the three days of pre-season, the Finn had a positive experience and approaches things with optimism for the first Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo is one of the teams that have navigated the new regulations of 2022 successfully. Despite a second half of the season plagued by reliability issues, the Swiss team made a leap in the constructors’ standings, going from ninth place in 2021 to sixth place last year.
Encouraging trials
With more than 400 laps and nearly 2200 kilometers covered during these three days of testing, Valtteri Bottas had a positive experience onboard the C43, despite a red flag due to a gearbox issue.
“It was definitely much better than last year at this stage,” says Bottas, referring to the reliability of the C43. “So, I think we are well prepared, as well as you can be with three days.”
I have the impression that we have made progress as a team in terms of the car’s quality, we have had fewer issues at this stage. Last year, the tests were not as fun, so we are in a good position after three days.
A car “pleasant to drive”.
Apart from reliability, the other weakness of the 2022 car was its instability at high speeds. Bottas claims that the team has addressed the issue and has developed a solid C43 this season.
“I definitely feel the improvements that we have tried to make for this year, and the stability of the cars is much better. And in this way, you can gain confidence,” he explained after finishing the tests in third place on Saturday.
« There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the car, so I think we have managed to get the settings pretty good during these three days. It is really enjoyable to drive, so it’s a good starting point for sure. I think I only had one minor hiccup in a whole day. »
More possibilities in the settings.
The Finn hopes that a better balance between high and low-speed behavior will expand the configuration options, as the team won’t have to make as many compromises.
A better balance of the car, at high and low speeds, should allow for a wider range of setups, at least that’s what the Finnish driver hopes for.
« There is still a little difference between high speed and low speed, but I would say it is at least 50% better than last year. This opens up a lot of adjustment options. »
To not miss anything from the first round, find the complete program of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place this weekend.
