Valtteri Bottas: “It’s nice to be back in the car soon after a good result”

Valtteri Bottas says he is eager to get back behind the wheel of his Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN car this weekend in Saudi Arabia after his impressive debut with the team last weekend in Bahrain.

Bottas took a superb sixth place finish at the Bahrain International Circuit despite a poor start, and the Finn is hoping to build on that performance this weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, a venue where he took a podium finish with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in 2021.

The multiple Formula 1 race winner is expecting Alfa Romeo’s results throughout 2022 to fluctuate, but he also expects the team to bring updates that will hopefully help them stay towards the front of the midfield and fight regularly points scorers.

“It’s nice to be back in the car soon after a good result,” said Bottas.  “It gives us the chance to build on the strong performance we showed last weekend and fix the things that can be improved.

“It’s still early days in the season and we expect the balance on track to shift backwards and forwards as teams bring updates, but we are not standing still either and we are determined to stay on top of this curve.

“I see real motivation in the team and it was super to see the delight on the faces of everyone there. We are going in the right direction and Saudi Arabia will be another race in which we can fight for a good result: the track has undergone some changes to make it even quicker than it was last year.

“I am looking forward to driving the new layout and see if that suits us.”

“I demand the best of myself in every occasion” – Zhou Guanyu

Team-mate Zhou Guanyu also scored a top ten finish in Bahrain, and the Chinese driver admitted scoring a point in his first Grand Prix was a ‘dream come true’, but he is already focused on racing in Saudi Arabia.

The twenty-two-year-old had a strong outing in Bahrain, climbing up the order and finishing tenth, although he continues to learn more about the C42-Ferrari every time he steps into the car, and he is looking to learn more this weekend as he adapts to life in Formula 1.

Zhou experienced the Jeddah track last year in FIA Formula 2, but he knows the experience this year is going to be a very different one in Formula 1.

“Starting with a finish in the top 10 is a dream come true, but now it needs to be a happy memory: my focus is already on the next race and on keeping performing well,” said Zhou.  

“Every time I step into the cockpit is a chance to learn something new and to get more comfortable in the car: I know I have to keep working hard, not just because I know how competitive everyone around me is, but also because I demand the best of myself in every occasion.

“The Jeddah Corniche circuit is not new for me, as I raced there in F2 last year, but of course it will be a very different experience in this year’s F1 cars. The layout has changed but it remains an incredibly challenging track which requires 100% focus and punishes mistakes: still, it will be something incredible to tackle it with these cars.”

Zhou Guanyu is looking to build on his Bahrain performance this weekend – Credit: Florent Gooden / DPPI