After a very complicated Grand Prix at Spa where he will have driven very little over the whole weekend, Valtteri Bottas hopes to bounce back at Zandvoort where he finished on the box in 2021 with Mercedes F1. The Finn has not scored a point since Montreal and intends to put an end to this bad series in the Netherlands.
“This new race gives us the opportunity to recover straight away from the unlucky Spa weekend. only doing two laps last weekend, because I think the pace Guanyu and I were showing was good, and I’m sure we could have done well. »
« Considering our speed from the start of the race, we have the opportunity to put in a solid performance this weekend with hopefully some points. The fans are of course passionate there, so we will have to give them the show that they deserve. »
Starting from the back of the grid at Spa, after having suffered several engine penalties, Gunayu Zhou knew that it would be very difficult for him to shine in Belgium. He will for his part discover the Zandvoort circuit at the wheel of an F1 this weekend, with the hope of adding a few additional units to his points counter.
« We were hoping for more from the weekend at Spa, but we knew that taking these penalties and starting from the back of the grid would make it difficult to get the points. Despite that, our pace was promising and I hope it will also be the case in Zandvoort. »
« This track will be relatively new for me: I raced there in F3 a few years ago, so it will be important that I adapt to the wheel of my F1 as quickly as possible. I hope to qualify on the grid. in order to be in the fight for points in the race. For that, we know that we will have to have a perfect weekend from start to finish. »
After the disappointment of Alfa Romeo F1 at Spa, its director Frédéric Vasseur is delighted to go to Zandvoort and like his two drivers, he would like to see his team bring back points from the Netherlands.
« The Spa chapter is now closed and it’s time to head to Zandvoort for the second part of this hat-trick of races. Last year the Dutch Grand Prix was one of the best events I have ever attended. attended: the organizers put on an incredible show and I can’t wait to experience the same feeling again this year. »
« We knew it would be tough in Belgium from the moment we chose to take all those penalties, and yet we could realistically go for the points: the pace we showed was very positive and we need to build on that. »
“Qualifying becomes more and more important with such a tight field. If we start in a good position, we have to stay there. our place: in the top 10 under the checkered flag. »