Valtteri Bottas has labelled the new Alfa Romeo C43 "stunning" as the first 2023 Formula 1 car has broken cover. Bottas and teammate Zhou Guanyu unveiled the new Alfa machine at an event in Zurich, with it being the first real-life car to break cover following livery reveals from Haas, Red Bull and Williams. The team, who finished sixth in the 2022 season, have undergone major changes off-track during the winter as team boss Frederic Vasseur departed for Ferrari. In his place, Andreas Seidl has become Sauber Motorsport CEO as the team prepare to morph into Audi in 2026, with steps being taken to ease this transition. The C43 will be the final 'Alfa Romeo' as what is essentially a naming rights deal with Sauber is expected to end after the 2023 season, the arrangement having come into place for the '19 campaign. Despite this, 10-time Grand Prix winner Bottas is impressed by what he has seen.
New Alfa Romeo is 'stunning'
"The C43 is finally here and I cannot wait to bring it on track," explained former Mercedes driver Bottas, now in his second year with Alfa. "I really like our new livery, I think it is stunning and a fine evolution from last year's one. "It's been an interesting first season with the team, we made some pretty solid progress together and now there's only one direction to [go]: up, higher and better. "There is obviously still work to do and things to improve, but I am confident we have it in ourselves to aim for even [better] results this year. "I cannot wait to go back racing, I am fully charged and eager to get the new season started."
Zhou - who is now in his sophomore F1 season - echoed the thoughts of his team leader, acknowledging the 'higher' expectations on him for 2023. "I think we are sporting a beautiful new design for 2023 and I am looking forward to driving the car in Barcelona in the next few days [for a shakedown] before properly getting the season started with winter testing in Bahrain," the Chinese driver explained. "Last year, the team made me feel at home from the very start, welcoming me and giving me time to learn and improve. "The expectation for this year is definitely higher, and I will carry all the experience from my rookie season into 2023. "I am excited for what is coming, and I'm fully ready to attack."
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