Valtteri Bottas is hoping that the upgrades Alfa Romeo have on their car will help them get back in the points-paying places for the last few races of the Formula 1 campaign.
It’s been a difficult few months for Alfa Romeo with them starting the season so well and then seeing a drop-off in performance, coinciding with Alpine and McLaren making good improvements.
Indeed, the need to keep developing and working on the car in F1 is a well-known phenomenon but it’s much easier said than done, and Alfa have not been able to bring in a similar number of upgrades compared to some others on the grid.
They now sit in P6 in the standings but are seriously out of form and are at risk of being overhauled by Aston Martin in the final four rounds of the championship, with the team in British Racing Green just seven points off in the table.
Indeed, Aston have plenty of momentum at the moment with them scoring regular points since the summer break and you may well fancy them to take P6 before the season is out, securing important financial gains in the process.
Alfa are going to fight with all they have to keep sixth to themselves, though, and have a new front wing on the car that they hope will help them become that bit more competitive.
SUZUKA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 08: Valtteri Bottas of Finland driving the (77) Alfa Romeo F1 C42 Ferrari on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on October 08, 2022 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
They brought the first part of their upgrades around a new front wing in at the Japanese Grand Prix, and are completing the upgrade here in Austin with tweaks to the floor.
Bottas, then, is hopeful those things are going to prove positive arrivals:
“We had a new front wing in Suzuka, but obviously in the weather conditions it was pretty tricky to prove how it was, but we think it is a step forward,” said the Finn.
“Also in this race, we have a new floor diffuser which hopefully will give us a bit of a step. Hopefully that puts us closer to the top 10 and actually we can get back to scoring again.”
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Keyword: F1: Valtteri Bottas hopeful over Alfa Romeo upgrades as they bid to end rut