Valtteri Bottas: “Back-to-back races offers us the chance to bounce back”

Valtteri Bottas is looking to get back into the points this weekend in Hungary after three consecutive races where he has failed to score a top ten finish.

The Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN driver had an underwhelming French Grand Prix last weekend as he finished only fourteenth, whilst he also failed to break into the top ten in either the British or Austrian Grand Prix.

Bottas has twice finished on the podium at the Hungaroring, and although that kind of result is unlikely this weekend, he is confident the problems that have befallen him in recent races have been solved so he can return to the points on Sunday afternoon.

“Having back-to-back races offers us the chance to bounce back right away from the tough weekend we had in France, where nothing seemed to be working in our favour,” said Bottas.  

“I enjoyed racing at the Hungaroring in the past, having also been on the podium here twice before, and I am looking forward to being back in action on track.

“The fans are always passionate and welcoming here, and it would be nice to put up a good show for them before the summer break. The team has been working really hard these past days to find a solution to our struggles last weekend, and together with some updates we can hopefully put up a good fight for points in the midfield.”

“We had some good results, but I am hungry for more” – Zhou Guanyu

Team-mate Zhou Guanyu will end the first half of his rookie season this weekend, and the Chinese driver says he has learned a lot since making his Grand Prix debut back in Bahrain.

Twice this season, Zhou has broken into the points, scoring a point on debut before taking eighth place in the Canadian Grand Prix, but he is hungry for more visits to the top ten throughout the remaining races.

Like Bottas, Zhou felt the French Grand Prix was a tough one for Alfa Romeo, but he hopes for a more competitive weekend in Hungary, although he knows it will be tough amid a midfield that is extremely close in performance.

“The first half of my rookie season is coming to an end this weekend, and I for sure can say I learned a lot over the months since my debut in Bahrain,” said Zhou. “We had some good results, but I am hungry for more.

“The race at Paul Ricard was a tough one for us, and once again that prevented us from scoring any points. I am glad to be already back racing; I have raced in Hungary before, and I am looking forward to doing it again this weekend.

“Competition will be tough, as usual, but hopefully we can put together our efforts and bring out a good performance to put ourselves back where we belong.”

Zhou Guanyu is aiming for his third top ten finish of the season in Hungary – Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd