The Finn completed only 10 laps in the Alfa Romeo C42, the least of any driver on the day, as his team struggled with reliability issues.
Follow Us
Alfa Romeo driver Valterri Bottas did not have the best of times during the three-day pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Finn completed only 10 laps in the Alfa Romeo C42, the least of any driver on the day, as his team struggled to come to terms with a barrage of technical issues, especially reliability. However, the Finn still mentioned that it was a positive session with some ‘good indications’ The former Mercedes man completed only 54 laps across the three days but is looking to shake off the disappointment ahead of the Bahrian Grand Prix.
Read More – Alfa Romeo reveal new livery for 2022 challenger
“It was a positive day, with quite a bit of running and some good indications until nearly the end of the session. I was able to run with the C3 compound, but unfortunately a spin and a small hydraulic leak meant I couldn’t try the C4 tyres,” Bottas said.
“It’s only testing and we can’t really compare what we are doing against the other teams, but the feeling is that we are going in the right direction. The most important thing is to work together as a team to make sure we take a step forward ahead of testing in Bahrain.”
Rookie teammate Zhou Guanyu stopped twice in the morning of Day 3 before handing over the wheel to Bottas, but he praised the team for some good progress over the three days. Only Haas covered less ground than Alfa Romeo during the week, with the Chinese driver completing 112 laps.
Read More – Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari has fastest car as Barcelona testing concludes
“The team has made good progress with the C42, even though I wasn’t able to get all the running I would have liked,” said Zhou. “A few technical issues stopped us in the afternoon, but the data we collected during the morning session will allow us to keep working and developing the car.”
“Our focus switches to making the most of the time between now and the Bahrain test, and maximising our mileage when we get there. I am confident we can make up the time we lost and be fully ready for the season ahead,” he concluded.
