Alfa Romeo is counting on an “immediate reaction” to relaunch in Canada

The weekends follow one another and the troubles follow one another for Alfa Romeo. The Italian-Swiss team experienced a delicate race in Baku, with an 11th place only for Valtteri Bottas and an abandonment for Guanyu-Zhou. The Chinese was also in the running to score points, but his mechanics betrayed him halfway through the race.

For the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Alfa Romeo wants to be able to get back into the race for 4th manufacturer place, despite the short time between the Baku and Montreal events. Frédéric Vasseur, team director, is counting on team spirit to get back into rhythm. “Baku was a difficult weekend for the team, but it is in these circumstances that you see the true strength of a group. No one, neither in the garage nor at home, lowered their heads: what you saw was an immediate reaction to bounce back from disappointment. We are determined to come to Canada to prove that last week's result was just an anomaly and I am sure we will succeed. »

The Frenchman knows that car d'Hinwil is performing well but his team must do everything possible to optimize their weekend. “We have a lot of positives to work on, we saw great pace with Zhou and we know that would have brought us points if we had finished the race. We will aim for a clean weekend and get back on track immediately. »

Drivers want to understand Alfa Romeo's problems

After a strong start to the season, Alfa Romeo experienced two complicated events in Monaco and Baku. With only two points scored in two races, Frédéric Vasseur's team saw Alpine move ahead in the manufacturer rankings. On the drivers' side, frustration is starting to be felt, like Zhou when he abandoned in Azerbaijan. " You are laughing at me ? Again ?! » had released the rookie on the radio when his team asked him to stop.

But the Chinese does not want to let himself be defeated and approaches the Canadian Grand Prix with determination. “The advantage of having two consecutive races is the opportunity to hit the track immediately after a disappointing event. This is the approach I have for this weekend. I am focusing on the positive points of Baku: my performance in Q1 and the way I led my race until my retirement (…). The team worked hard to understand the problem we had. We come to Montreal to obtain the result that eluded us last week.

Understanding is also what Valtteri Bottas is trying to do. Far from the pace in Baku, the Finn highlights the work that Alfa Romeo is doing to resolve the problems affecting the team. “We have spent the last few days looking at the data to understand what went wrong (in Baku). We have taken extensive steps to ensure that we start this weekend with a clean slate and can return to the competitive levels we have had since the start of the season. Montreal is a circuit that we know quite well, even if it is the first time we have raced here with the new cars. »

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