Valtteri Bottas didn’t have much to look forward to from the Singapore Grand Prix after being eliminated in Q1 yesterday, but he still finished 11th and therefore just outside the points. If the Alfa Romeo driver is of course disappointed not to have hung a top 10, he puts things into perspective after starting only 15th on the grid.
« It’s always frustrating to finish one point position, but given our starting position, we couldn’t have hoped for much more. At least we didn’t make a mistake and kept the car on track. , but it’s still a shame. I think putting on the soft tires was the right decision, they just didn’t last until the end. »
The Finnish driver was still satisfied with the performance of his C42 this weekend.
« The pace was much better from Friday and we will have some new parts for Japan. Our car seems to prefer dry conditions so I hope it won’t rain at Suzuka. »
For his part, Guanyu Zhou was forced to retire after crossing paths with Nicholas Latifi.
The Williams driver did not see the Chinese when the latter tried to pass him, which resulted in a collision for which the Canadian was also penalized at Suzuka, and in a retirement for the two men.
“I was really surprised at the time of the incident,” Zhou said. « We were side by side on the approach to turn 4, then Latifi fell back on me before we got there. He knew I would be there because he had missed the rope at turn 3. Unfortunately, that ended in our race. »
The Alfa Romeo driver does not necessarily intend to discuss this incident with the Canadian.
« There’s not much to say. I know the conditions were tough today, but you always have to be ready for a rider to be next to you. And he knew I was there because he was constantly defending, then suddenly he closed the door completely. »
