Valtteri Bottas endured a Spanish Grand Prix to forget last weekend, as the Finnish driver had to settle for 19th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
It was an odd weekend for the Alfa Romeo driver, who actually featured amongst the top 10 on Friday during free practice.
Like Charles Leclerc though, Bottas complained of his car feeling completely different in qualifying and in the race; however, the Hinwil-based team opted against making changes.
Bottas struggled during the race as a result, whilst team-mate Zhou Guanyu claimed important points for the team in ninth.
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It was confirmed by Bottas after the race that the team discovered floor damage to his C43, which explained why his pace was significantly inferior to Zhou’s.
Prior to the damage being confirmed, ex-F1 driver David Coulthard wondered whether his car was damaged, or if he was busy “thinking about some cycling race”.
Bottas is, of course, dating professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, whilst the Finn himself has also taken part in a handful of races.
“Zhou is of course a talented guy, but today either there was a problem with Valtteri’s car or he was still thinking about some cycling race or something,” Coulthard told Viaplay.
Both Zhou and Bottas are in need of a new contract for 2024, with the duo currently both on four points in the Drivers’ Championship.
With Bottas being so experienced though, Coulthard believes he should be performing better than he currently is.
“We’ll have to look at the situation again when we get to the middle of the season,” added Coulthard. “I think Valtteri should be more consistent in his results.”
Despite Coulthard’s comments, Alfa Romeo team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi is “satisfied” with the driver line-up they currently have.
Bravi wants to see Alfa Romeo giving Bottas and Zhou “all the tools to do a good job”, something they haven’t had at times this season.
What remains to be seen is how much of an influence Audi will have over the team’s 2024 pairing, given that their merge with Sauber is only a few years away.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has been linked to Sauber as a result; however, Bravi believes the Spaniard is “happy” at Maranello.
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“We are satisfied with our current driver pairing and our aim is to give them competitive material,” Bravi told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper.
“Obviously, I think Carlos Sainz is one of the best drivers currently in F1. But he drives for Ferrari and I think he is happy at Ferrari.
“We too have to think about our drivers and give them all the tools to do a good job.”