2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Sunday

Jeddah, 19 March 2023 – Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake had a challenging evening in Jeddah as Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas finished 13th and 18th respectively in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The team wasn’t able to convert its starting positions into a top-ten finish, despite the best efforts of drivers and crew: as we return to our headquarters, we will analyse the data from the race and come up with the answers to this unrepresentative performance, while also finalising the next upgrade package for the C43.

admin March 19, 2023

45 2 minutes read

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “Starting where we were on the grid, we were expecting to fight for the points, but, unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish in the top ten this time around. The team had a difficult weekend, and we weren’t able to be at the level for which we aimed: we’ll need to go back to base, analyse the data from this performance and understand where we’ve fallen short, and what steps we need to make to return to the level we were in Bahrain. We are confident we can make it there in Melbourne, where we will also bring some updates to further improve the performance of our C43. We need to keep working hard, of course: the season is long and the battle will be intense in each race.”

Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake C43 (Chassis 03/Ferrari)
Race result: 18th
Fastest lap: 1:34.384 (Lap 37)
Tyres: New Medium (9 laps) – New Hard (8 laps) – New Medium (18 laps) – New Soft (14 laps)

“Our qualifying performance yesterday was similar to the one we had in Bahrain, so we had good hopes for tonight, but unfortunately the race was a very different affair. The car didn’t feel right, we couldn’t get any grip from the beginning of the race and we need to figure out exactly what happened. I ran over a large piece of debris on lap one, so perhaps I was carrying some damage to the floor: we’ll look at the car and at the data and understand more to prepare for Melbourne. I believe our car is much better than what we’ve shown tonight: Zhou had a much better pace, so I don’t think this weekend was very representative, and I am confident we can be back fighting for points in Australia.”

Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake C43 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
Race result: 13th
Fastest lap: 1:33.894 (Lap 49)
Tyres: New Medium (11 laps) – New Hard (7laps) – New Medium (32 laps)

“We looked strong in the first stint, our pace was good and it seemed the top ten was within reach. Of course, track position always makes the difference on street circuits like this one, and, unfortunately, I got stuck in a DRS train once the Safety Car came out. My race was compromised from that moment onwards, and there wasn’t much more we could do. Today just hasn’t been our day, but I think we can achieve much more as a team going forward. We get a new chance in a few weeks in Melbourne, where we will be bringing some upgrades to our car: hopefully they’ll allow us to make the step forward we need to continue fighting for points. We’re have shown we can do it and that we can fight towards the front, and I am confident we can achieve that again in Australia.”

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