#Bottas admits Alfa Romeo’s race day slump in Miami ‘reflects our true pace’

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Bottas admits Alfa Romeos race day slump in Miami reflects our true pace

Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were left eagerly awaiting Alfa Romeo’s planned car updates at the next round of the season in Imola after experiencing an up-and-down Miami Grand Prix weekend. It was a tale of two halves for the Swiss operation amid the South Florida sunshine as while Saturday yielded the high of a Q3 result for Bottas, race day brought the low of non-points finishes for both drivers. READ MORE: 5 Winners and 5 Losers from the Miami Grand Prix – Who was on fire in Florida? Bottas ultimately crossed the line in 13th, having qualified 10th, while Zhou dropped from 14th on the grid to 16th, with the C43’s solid one-lap performance replaced by struggles in race trim. Asked if he was surprised at how Alfa Romeo’s pace dropped off from Saturday to Sunday, Bottas said: “A little bit. We definitely didn’t have the pace like we had yesterday on a single lap. Bottas qualified well, but didn't have the race pace to convert it into a points finish “I think this reflects more the true pace that we have at the moment. We need to keep working. I obviously tried to fight the best I could, but just couldn’t hold on.” As for how crucial Alfa Romeo’s next raft of car upgrades are, Bottas added: “Very important [and] definitely much, much needed. I look forward to seeing how they work, but we definitely need to keep pushing.” STRATEGY UNPACKED: Was starting on the hard tyre the key to Verstappen’s victory in Miami? Zhou echoed Bottas’ sentiments, describing how he was “sliding around” all afternoon as he struggled to get performance and life out of his tyres. “[It was] better than last weekend, but still kind of here and affecting us, the performance, especially with a high-fuel car,” he said. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences Zhou eyeing Imola upgrade after Alfa Romeo struggle with grip on race day in Miami “It was very difficult for me to hold off the Aston behind and the guys around… Even the Haas seems to have stronger pace than us. Hopefully with the upgrades we have for Imola it can bring us forward, but it was a difficult Sunday out there. “We had amazing pace over one lap, and then today in the race, everything’s just different: track temperature, also the grip, the way you have to handle the tyres… It seems like we find it more tricky.” BEYOND THE GRID: Valtteri Bottas on his burning desire to win again, the story behind the mullet – and how he rates Hamilton Having finished sixth in last year’s constructors’ standings, Alfa Romeo sit eighth after the first five rounds of the 2023 season with six points to their name, ahead of only AlphaTauri and Williams. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Bottas believes Hamilton 'still the fastest driver on the grid' as he calls former team mate 'annoyingly talented'

Valtteri Bottas has revealed the traits Lewis Hamilton has that make him “the quickest driver on the grid” and what makes working with current team mate Zhou Guanyu “a pleasure”. Bottas and Hamilton were team mates for five seasons at Mercedes – from 2017 to 2021 – with both drivers playing a key role in helping the Silver Arrows win five constructors’ titles during that period. READ MORE: Bottas admits Alfa Romeo’s race day slump in Miami ‘reflects our true pace’ However, while they achieved the team’s goals, from an individual point of view Bottas never quite managed to beat Hamilton over the course of a season, with the Briton winning four drivers’ titles to the Finn's zero during their time as team mates. In his Beyond the Grid episode, Bottas told host Tom Clarkson that he believes that Hamilton – who recently called him a great team mate – was “still the quickest driver on the grid”, despite having not won the title since 2020. When asked what made the seven-time world champion so good, Bottas replied: “Well, first of all, he’s annoyingly talented! On top of that, he works way harder than people actually think outside the race weekends. Hamilton and Bottas enjoyed plenty of success during their time together at Mercedes “And in the race weekends, he’s often the last person to leave from the paddock. It's just that combination and he's got big drive inside him to always deliver and do well. “His average baseline performance is so good and then he's really consistent as well. It makes him hard to beat. When I could beat him, that was obviously a good day.” FULL TRANSCRIPT: Read every word from Valtteri Bottas’s fascinating Beyond The Grid interview Asked if he still has a relationship with Hamilton, now that he races for Alfa Romeo, Bottas replied: “Yeah, we still have good friendship. This season, I’ve travelled with him a couple of times. We always have a good laugh.” Since leaving Mercedes, Bottas has developed a good relationship with his new team mate Zhou, and he explained to Clarkson how the Chinese racer compares to Hamilton, as well as his former Williams team mates Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa. “Zhou is a very good team mate and a very nice guy,” said Bottas. “Every team mate is different, it's always hard to compare them. Everyone as a human is different as a driver. For his age and experience, he's really mature. “He's obviously got a good education. He comes from a really sweet family. He’s just a good human being and a really skilled driver. It's been a pleasure. It's been nice to see him grow and get faster.” EXCLUSIVE: Take a behind-the-scenes look at Valtteri Bottas’s 2023 pre-season studio shoot When it was put to Bottas that he has seemed willing to help Zhou since his rookie season in F1, the 10-time race winner responded: “Yeah, definitely. I know that when you join Formula 1, you need some help. There's so much to learn. “Anytime he seeks advice, I'm always there and who knows? Maybe one day, vice versa. We are in this as a team. We definitely want to get closer to the front of the grid. For that, we need to work as a team and we both understand it.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com