Valtteri Bottas says the confidence within Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN remains high despite the team missing out on points in the past two races at Silverstone and the Red Bull Ring.
The Finn retired from the British Grand Prix and was only eleventh in Austria, although he fought back to that position after starting from the pit lane following pre-race engine and rear wing changes.
Bottas says the midfield fight in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2022 is again very close, and he knows they will need to maximise their potential if they are to score points for what would be eighth time in twelve races.
“Paul Ricard is a circuit I have quite enjoyed in the past years, having also collected a podium finish here in 2019,” said Bottas. “It’s not too far from where I live, so it has almost a bit of a home race feeling for me.
“We know we have to keep our confidence high: our target this weekend, just like any other, is to bring home a good result. I was disappointed to finish just outside the points in Spielberg, but the positive was a good recovery from a pitlane start and some good battles.
“The midfield fight is going to be once again very close and, just as last year, when we had some pretty good overtakes, the race should be an entertaining one.
“We need to put our focus onto doing our best job on track and get back where we belong: in the points.”
“We are ready to get on track and give our very best” – Zhou Guanyu
Team-mate Zhou Guanyu has past experience of the Circuit Paul Ricard in both the FIA European Formula 3 Championship in 2016 and in FIA Formula 2 three years ago, but he is expecting a much different challenge in Formula 1 machinery.
Zhou believes there is ‘unfinished business’ after missing out on points in both the British and Austrian Grand Prix, feeling the team are showing the right signs that they can be top ten contenders every weekend.
He is hoping for a kind of weekend he had in Canada last month where he scored his career-best finish of eighth in Formula 1, even if he will have to adapt to the circuit on Friday.
“I have raced on this track in 2016, in F3, and in 2019, in F2, but F1 will be completely different on such a circuit: once again, this weekend everything will be mostly brand new for me, and I cannot wait to get started,” said Zhou.
“There is a bit of a feeling of unfinished business after the last back-to-back, and I think we definitely did not get what we deserved in the last couple of races. I think we have a chance to do well here, and get back to the performance levels we have shown in Canada, scoring the points we have been missing for a few races now.
“Competition, as usual, will be high, but we are ready to get on track and give our very best.”
Zhou Guanyu is hoping for a return to the points for the first time since Canada – Credit: Xavi Bonilla / DPPI