In 2021, Alfa scored 13 points and ended up in ninth place. Thanks to Valtteri Bottas, the team climbed the ranks all the way to sixth in 2022. Bottas finished 10th in the drivers’ championship on 49 points, comfortably beating accomplished drivers like Ricciardo, Vettel, Magnussen, and Gasly. Many thought Bottas was only fast because he drove a Mercedes, but the Finn proved them all wrong, despite other drivers around him often causing chaos.
You have to give the team some praise as well. Without a decent machine, Bottas would not have been able to fight as hard as he did. Zhou Guanyu had his moments, but he still had a lot to learn. Alfa obviously sees potential in F1’s only Chinese racer, as his contract was extended quite early on.
In a sad turn of events, the Alfa name is leaving F1 at the end of the 2023 season, just as things were starting to look up. The team it sponsored, Sauber, will live on.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://formulaone.news/mclaren/the-top-gear-experiment-that-uk-national-racing-needs-to-embrace
