Alfa Romeo need to be “perfect” to score in remaining rounds- Bottas

Valtteri Bottas says Alfa Romeo must clean up their act as a team to score points more regularly over the second half of 2023.

After taking sixth place in the constructors’ championship last season, Alfa Romeo sit ninth at the summer break with just nine points after four top ten finishes in 2023 – two apiece for Bottas and second-year team mate Zhou Guanyu.

Despite improving their reliability troubles that plagued them last season, Alfa Romeo have appeared to miss opportunities to add to their points tally this season. Neither driver scored points at the Hungaroring despite Zhou and Bottas securing fifth and seventh on the grid, respectively, while Zhou missed Q2 at Spa-Francorchamps after being advised to change a brake setting while half a second up in the first sector on his final push lap.

Bottas says that his team will need to be performing at their best in all areas to pick up more points over the final ten rounds of the season.

“In both of the qualifyings [in Spa], it was just a bit messy overall,” Bottas said. “Timings, we didn’t get it quite right, etcetera.

“For sure the car pace is important, but also operationally, you need to be perfect if you want points nowadays. So that’s also the aim, to try and smoothen things up.”

Alfa Romeo have lacked the performance they enjoyed at times in 2022 through the first half of this year, but Bottas says that the team’s ability to be competitive in the midfield is as much dependent on their rivals as it is on their upgrades.

“There is something in the pipeline after the break, but it depends so much on the other teams,” he said.

“If they make steps, then is going to be the same. But if not many teams can bring anything significant, then we can hopefully be a bit more regularly in the top ten. So it’s not only down to us.”

The season resumes next weekend with the 13th round of the championship at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Bottas believes there could be opportunities for them at the narrow, twisty circuit.

“On paper, I think it could be a good one,” he said. “So of course I’m looking forward to it.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2023 F1 season

• FIA president cleared of alleged interference in two 2023 races
• First week viewing figures for new Drive to Survive season fall again
• Max who? Drive to Survive season six prefers its favourite faces
• RaceFans’ complete 2023 season review
• The F1 drivers who pulled off the 10 biggest charges through the field in 2023

Browse all 2023 F1 season articles