"I'm fine with four zones" - Valtteri Bottas expects F1 Australian GP to be 'tactically quite interesting"

Valtteri Bottas is not too fussed by the presence of as many as four DRS zones for the Australian GP. When questioned on his views on the addition of another DRS zone on the track, Bottas conceded that the multiple DRS zones were going to make things interesting. Claiming he was fine with it overall, as it generated more opportunities to overtake, the Finn said:

“I think it’s going to make the race tactically quite interesting. When you’re fighting with other drivers, you need to make sure that you will have the upper-hand when it really comes to the overtake itself, and especially if it’s a battle towards the end of the race, you need to time things right. It just makes it different in a way, and there will be opportunities to overtake. So I’m fine with four zones, it’s fine.”

Bottas' move to Alfa Romeo was followed by the team going through a positive surge in form. The Ferrari-engined car is one of the frontrunners in the midfield and the team showed impressive pace in Bahrain as well.

Bottas' teammate, Guanyu Zhou, felt that the DRS zone from Turn 9 through Turn 10 and 11 was going to allow the drivers to do something different. The Chinese driver also stressed the importance of managing battery power while trying to complete an overtake. He said:

“Managing your battery is also a key, you don’t want to overuse that, end up attacking and not making the move stick. But I think with the new layout, especially with high-speed, it’s not helping, but with our new car generation, it’s easier to follow. That makes the racing maybe more tight or compact. But on the other hand, DRS is definitely helping a lot.”

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Valtteri Bottas has outqualified one Mercedes driver in both the races this season

For Valtteri Bottas, the decision to leave Mercedes would have been tough. At least for the start of the 2022 F1 season, however, the Finnish driver seems to be making the most of Mercedes' struggles and Alfa Romeo's early season form.

Bottas was able to outqualify George Russell in Bahrain and in the second race of the season, he did that to his old teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The Finn is slowly but surely growing in his role as a leader in Alfa Romeo and appears to be driving with a lot more freedom than during his stint at Mercedes.