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Valtteri Bottas joined Alfa Romeo from Mercedes this season and it was a surprise to see him qualify alongside Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain. Having said that, Bottas is not resting on his laurels. He knows the team has not finished higher than 8th in the standings since 2014. The Finn is therefore in no mood to relent and is hoping to build on a strong start.
Talking about the swift return to racing in Saudi Arabia, Bottas said:
“It’s nice to be back in the car soon after a good result. It gives us the chance to build on the strong performance we showed last weekend and fix the things that can be improved.”
Reflecting on the mood in the team, he said:
“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.”
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Valtteri Bottas looking forward to Saudi Arabian GP
Valtteri Bottas had an eventful evening the last time a Grand Prix was held in Saudi Arabia. The Mercedes driver snatched the final podium slot from Esteban Ocon millimeters before the finish line. This time around, it might be tough to replicate those heroics while driving an Alfa Romeo.
Regardless, Bottas was looking forward to the race and was intrigued by what the changes to the track layout would result in. The Finn said:
“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.”
Alfa Romeo currently finds itself fourth in the championship standings, aided by a double-point scoring finish in the first race. The team has turned its fortunes around after a tough first test in Barcelona where it struggled with reliability.
With Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, the team will be looking to capitalize on its early-season advantage and try to develop a buffer before other teams start catching up.
