Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas has offered an optimistic outlook when assessing Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s chance at a points finish around the Circuit de Monaco this weekend.
The Finnish driver started his preview by touching on last week’s cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix due to the unprecedented amount of rainfall experienced in the days building up to the Grand Prix.
“As much as we were all very keen to race, not going ahead with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been the right call,” Bottas stated. “I send all my sympathy and support to the affected populations, and I look forward to being back in Imola in the future.
Alfa Romeo have endured a stuttering start to their FIA Formula 1 World Championship campaign with the team achieving just two points finishes through the opening five races.
Despite the slow start to their season, the Monaco-resident has spoken on his excitement to be racing just outside his front door this weekend.
“Monaco is a race that needs no introduction: it’s just special, and it’s also racing at home so I’m looking forward to being able to sleep in my bed! I’m very motivated to do well here, where you have to give it all and push your performances to the limit.“
With a limited number of overtaking opportunities on offer around the streets of Monaco, Bottas is taking strong encouragement from the impressive one-lap pace the C43 was able to demonstrate last time out at the Miami Grand Prix, where the Finnish driver was able to achieve his first Qualifying Three appearance of the year.
“The single-lap pace we showed in Miami was an improvement compared to previous races, and it could be crucial on a track where qualifying performance is so important. There is still some work to be done – and the team took the time since Miami to keep working on developing our car. We will keep pushing forward, aiming to further improve our performance, and add more points to our tally.”
Zhou Guanyu: “I am looking forward to the race in Monaco, it’s the one Grand Prix where everyone wants to do well”
Zhou Guanyu echoed the same thoughts as his teammate when speaking about last weekend’s cancellation in Imola. The Chinese driver wished his best to everyone affected by the floods in the Emilio Romagna region of Northern Italy.
“The conditions to go ahead with the race in Imola just weren’t there, and the commitment to safety must always come first. I wish all my best to everyone who has been affected by the floods – I spent a lot of time in Italy a few years ago, and I have very fond memories of my time there.“
Although last year’s Monaco Grand Prix would prove not to be one of his strongest weekend’s in his rookie season, Zhou has previously enjoyed success around the Circuit de Monaco in FIA Formula 2, where he claimed a comfortable sprint race victory in 2021.
Looking to build off an overall more competitive weekend for the team in Miami, Zhou has placed high importance on being able to extract every last inch of performance this weekend.
“I am looking forward to the race in Monaco, it’s the one Grand Prix where everyone wants to do well, and where every small detail can make the difference,” The Chinese driver said. “We showed some progress in Miami, and we must keep up with the momentum as there are still improvements to make.“
Zhou finished by revealing that the team had planned to unveil a new upgrade package to the C43 in Imola, which will now instead be debuted this upcoming weekend on the streets of Monaco. The Alfa Romeo driver spoke on his high hopes for the upgrades by stating that he hopes they will push the team up the pecking order and into points contention on a more regular basis.
“We were set to bring upgrades to the C43 in Imola, and we will have them in Monaco this weekend. Hopefully, they’ll help us making a positive change and getting back in the points.”
