Alfa Romeo are rueing another pointless race at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas spinning out and Zhou Guanyu agonisingly missing the points positions in 11th spot. A strong start to 2022 had seen Bottas and Zhou rack up 51 points over the season’s first nine races. However, over the following ten Grands Prix, the Swiss-based squad have only scored one more point, and their sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship is under threat from a resurgent Aston Martin, who now just sit one point behind Alfa Romeo. “We undoubtedly expected more from last weekend: the race pace was promising, and it seemed like points were within reach for us, but eventually things didn’t go our way,” said Team Principal Fred Vasseur. “Heading back on track right away, we have the opportunity to turn the tide and continue working on our performances, which have been improving with the upgrades we brought in Japan and Austin. “We know our cars have the potential to get into Q3, and that should be our aim ahead of the weekend, to put ourselves in a favourable position to get in the fight for points and secure our place in the championship.”
Bottas and Zhou hopeful of Mexico points
Bottas’ Austin retirement meant he has now gone ten races without troubling the scorers, and after having qualified in the top ten, the Finn said his C42 had had the potential to finish in the points. “ Looking back to Austin, it was pretty disappointing to finish the race that way, as our pace looked promising, and we may have had solid chances for a points finish,” said Bottas. “Nevertheless, a new race week offers new opportunities, and it’s up to us to make the best out of them, do our job on track, and get into the top ten at the chequered flag.” This weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix will be Zhou’s first visit to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and the Chinese expressed hopes that Alfa would be capable of scoring points this weekend, after just missing out in Austin. “ I was a bit gutted to come back from the race in Austin with no points in the bag, as the pace was there throughout the weekend, and we could’ve built something on that,” said Zhou. “We got proof in Texas that our cars can make it into Q3, so if we do our homework well, we can achieve that and get in the mix for points on Sunday.”
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