Alfa Romeo will introduce “important” upgrades to its car at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi has confirmed.
Having begun the latest regulation cycle promisingly by accumulating 51 points in the opening 10 rounds of 2022, Alfa Romeo only scored a further four across the remaining 12 rounds as rival midfield teams eventually out-developed the Sauber-owned side.
That regression in competitiveness has continued into this year, with the Italian marque only managing to collect 10 points so far to languish down in ninth position in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, Valtteri Bottas brought an end to Alfa Romeo’s five-race barren run when he came home 10th at Monza, and the Hinwil-based camp will be boosted by a substantial upgrade this weekend that Alunni Bravi hopes places it in regular points contention.
“We head to Singapore with great motivation: returning to the top 10 in Monza gave us a great confidence boost, having executed a flawless race that turned the tide from a challenging start to the weekend,” Alunni Bravi said.
“This is how we should approach every race: if we are at the top of our performance, we’ll be able to maximize every opportunity.
“We are bringing a new, important package to Singapore, which asked a lot of effort from our home team over the past months: hopefully it’ll help us in the chase for more points finishes.
“It’ll be crucial, on a track like Singapore with its peculiar layout and climate conditions, to get the feeling right from the start, and improve our performances throughout the sessions.”
Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43. 01.09.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 15, Italian Grand Prix, Monza, Italy, Practice Day.
Despite scoring his first point since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, Bottas asserts that Alfa Romeo must continue to improve its package to ensure it can fight further up.
“It was good to get back into the points in Monza: we all needed that, after a few difficult races, and being at our home grand prix with the support of our colleagues on the grandstands made it even more special,” Bottas added.
“A point, however, is not enough, and I am hungry for more: we still have eight races to go before the end of the season, and we will push until the very end to achieve our targets.
“Singapore is a unique track, and both the weather conditions and it being a street track make it even more challenging. We are set to bring a new package this weekend, which should help us make an extra step forward, and I am looking forward to testing it on track.
“The team back at the factory is working really hard to improve our car and we just need to keep pushing for any opportunity to score.”
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