Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s Valtteri Bottas is ready to take on the next round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship after a week off to reset. He said that the team’s results in the previous double-header of Austria and Great Britain was unexpected, with no points earned between the two weekends.
With the Hungarian Grand Prix marking the half-way point of the season, Bottas said that the team is focused on extracting all the performance they can from their recent upgrade, with the aim of getting back into the points.
“It was good to have some time to get back to work following the previous double header, especially as we didn’t get the results we had expected; it was a chance to put my focus back on the remaining races before the summer break, as well as training in the sim to find that extra bit of performance that could help us during the weekend.
“The upgrades we brought in Silverstone allowed us to make a slight improvement in terms of pace, even though we didn’t get all out of them, and I know we have all been working hard to fully unlock their potential.
“I have always enjoyed racing at the Hungaroring in the past, and I am keen to be back this weekend. It’s as close to a home race as it gets, for a Finnish driver, and I love the old-school atmosphere of the track. Our task there will be only one: finding our momentum again and adding new points to our tally.”
“With a new double header come new opportunities, and I am ready to get back on track” – Zhou Guanyu
Team-mate Zhou Guanyu hopes to be able to improve upon the car’s current level of performance, which has been a continuous effort for the team back at their Hinwil headquarters.
Zhou said that rival teams have made huge steps forward in recent weekends on the technical front, which Alfa Romeo has not been able to keep up with since bringing their own upgrade to Silverstone Circuit.
He remains confident, however, that the team will be able to close the gap at the Hungaroring, given they make the most of every practice session and maximize their starting position with a solid Saturday performance.
“With a new double header come new opportunities, and I am ready to get back on track. Without doubt, Spielberg and Silverstone have been quite tough for the team, but what matters is that they are now behind us, and all of us have been working hard back home in Hinwil to improve on our weaknesses.
“Our main competitors have made a clear step forward in the most recent races, also thanks to the upgrades they have brought, but I am confident we have a chance to match them and get back in the mix this weekend in Budapest.
“It will be important to get every single detail right from the first practice session, as execution is often the difference between a positive and a negative result, and place ourselves in a favourable position on the grid: points are awarded on Sunday, and we will be ready to put up a fight.”
