MARINA BAY STREET CIRCUIT, SINGAPORE — Valtteri Bottas wants to see quick progress from Alfa Romeo as the team prepares to enter year three of a project that has seen the Finn paired with Zhou Guanyu.
Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix — round 16 of a Formula 1 season being utterly dominated by Red Bull at the top of the standings — Alfa Romeo announced their contractual news to ensure the 2024 grid is a step closer to completion.
Zhou picked up six points in his debut F1 campaign, and is on four this time around with eight races left, following a pair of ninth-placed finishes in Spain and Australia.
For the second year running, Alfa Romeo have chosen the premier night circuit to announce an extension for the 24-year-old, who can now officially look forward to a home race in China next year — F1's first foray there since 2019.
The rookie has learned sharply alongside his vastly-experienced teammate, who racked up five years competing at the very top of the game with Mercedes. Reflecting on the news, Bottas enthused in the Singapore paddock: "I think he’s done a great job.
"If you compare last year to this year, he’s made a big step. He fully deserves the seat. I’m happy to see that. It’s not only the driving side, it’s the technical side. He’s way more confident in the setups. He’s made really good progress.
"We still work as a team. We’re always going to be sharing everything. He has asked for less advice lately, because he’s learned more. You eventually run out of questions. He’s straying to get that experience and that confidence, but nothing changes in how we work together."
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However, Bottas now wants to see improvements in the car in order to get the best out of his sprightly young teammate: "If you look at the progress, obviously we started great last year and since then we haven’t made progress, so it’s not what we expected.
"Last year we did over-perform, but the steps we have made have not been what we hoped for or I imagined. But there’s always the year after, there’s always the new car, and there’s always an opportunity to make a jump.
"We’re still bringing new parts, like in this race here, and there’s obviously lots of hopes for next year. Of course, I want to see more progress than what we’ve made so far.
"It’s not way behind, but we’re a bit behind some other teams. Other teams do have more people, more budget, so there’s still work to do on that side. At least I’m seeing progress on that side — the team is hiring new people all the time. But it definitely has taken some time.
"It’s really important [to start next season well] because I did sign up to this project for three years, and it’s going to be the third year. We definitely need to see progress, and I’m expecting that. That’s why I’m working the best I can with the team. Eventually, my future comes to discussion, so we’ll see."
As Bottas alludes to, Alfa Romeo have a key package of upgrades coming to the car this weekend in South East Asia, following some final testing in the aftermath of Monza a fortnight ago. Those alterations have the team aiming "to finish seventh", which would mean clawing back an 11-point deficit on Williams in the Constructors' Championship.
He's predicting Japan next week will present a better opportunity to flex their muscles, though: "It should be a decent step. If I’m honest, I’m expecting a bit more for Suzuka.
"The new floor we have, there’s more gains on higher-speed corners, meaning lower ride heights, but here it’s slower speeds in terms of the corners. It should be a step here, but I’m expecting a bigger step in Suzuka. In the simulator, you could definitely feel the gains. It puts us in a better place."
Changes are also afoot for the track itself, with the construction of a new outdoor venue along the spectacular Marina Bay having meant four corners in the final sector need to be removed from this year onwards.
Bottas says that will provide a little relief from the exhausting drive, with downtown Singapore almost certain to be around 30 degrees celsius (86 degrees fahrenheit) and 75% humidity throughout the entire Grand Prix weekend.
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The 34-year-old, who also revealed he has "stayed on European time, going to bed at 5am and waking up at 2pm" to combat time-zone woes, continued: "For sure it’s going to be a better race, but will it be one where you can overtake easily? I don’t think so.
"It’s still going to be a hard track to overtake. I think most drivers were expecting to have another DRS zone on a straight. I’m sure it’s going to be a discussion tomorrow.
"The average here is 3.5kg [weight lost] in the race. It’s probably physically the toughest, with the heat. But it’s not the first time, you know how to prepare for it and keep hydrated. There’s a bit of suffering in the car, but it’s part of the job sometimes.
"In the end, it’s your fitness. If you have good endurance, then it’s going to help keep your heart-rate lower and less fatigue, better concentration. As long as you stay well hydrated, you should be ok. My endurance lately has been improving quite a bit.
"It’s nine seconds faster [than the previous layout], so it’s going to be a slightly faster race. You have a few corners less, so a bit of breathing space. It’ll be a tiny bit easier."
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