Frédéric Vasseur says the aggressive strategy applied to the Monaco Grand Prix enabled Valtteri Bottas to score points for a sixth time in seven races but bringing both cars home in the difficult conditions was the primary aim.
Bottas started twelfth but made his strategy work to move into the points-paying positions, closing the day out in tenth. However, a penalty for Esteban Ocon for colliding with Lewis Hamilton moved him up to ninth to allow him to score two points.
Zhou Guanyu was less fortunate in the other car, but his day was always going to be tough starting at the back of the field, and the Chinese driver ended sixteenth. However, he drove a clean race, with Zhou encountering only a few wild moments when the track was at is trickiest.
Vasseur, the Team Principal at Alfa Romeo, says Bottas’ two points enabled them to remain fifth in the Constructors’ Championship heading out of Monaco, and it heralded a good return for a team that knew coming into race day that scoring points of any kind was likely to be difficult.
“The conditions out there were treacherous and to bring home two cars is the primary objective, and we achieved it,” said Vasseur. “We knew that, after a difficult Saturday, scoring would have required a really good race are we were able to deliver one.
“We chose an aggressive strategy that would allow us to make up some positions, and we were able to gain ground with both cars.
“The two points Valtteri scored allow us to keep fifth place in the constructors’ championship and they’re a good return for the weekend.”
