[ad_1]
Qualifying: 14-8
Both games over: 9-2
Score: 49-6
Valtteri Bottas has nine top-10 finishes but has beaten Zhou Guanyu just nine times in the races they have both finished, which says more about Alfa Romeo’s poor reliability than his respect for Zhou Guanyu rule.
Dominance is what it used to be, although given that Bottas spent the last five years at Mercedes before joining Alfa Romeo and that Zhou was a rookie coming out of Formula 2, that was to be expected. things in.
2022 is the season in which both teammates will have to realign their goals from winning games in 2021 to fighting for points this season. But the points are what they manage, at least at the start and end of the season, enough to ensure Alfa Romeo holds off Aston Martin in sixth place.
Chinese driver Zhou, who scored on his debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, silenced his critics (including his replacement, Antonio Giovinazzi), who called him a paid driver. But it was a short-lived celebration, as his first nine races of the season included a string of retirements, three in total, and they were all car or engine related.
While he struggled to score, Bottas seemed to settle into his new team with ease, scoring seven top-10 finishes in his first nine races, with the Finn taking full advantage of the Alfa Romeo’s punctuality, although the C43 was not. reliable.
But as their rivals started developing their cars, Alfa – refusing to upgrade – began to lose the edge. It was a frustrating mid-season for the Hinwil team as Bottas retired four times in six races from Silverstone to Holland and was meaningless in other races.
Zhou, who retired twice in six races, wasn’t much better. He finally broke the team’s pointless run with a P10 in Italy, but recorded back-to-back DNFs immediately afterwards. That was one of two Sundays, the other being Abu Dhabi, where he beat Bottas in a race where both drivers saw the checkered flag.
While rivals didn’t update, partly because they didn’t have the money, Alfa Romeo rolled out the new floor at the US Grand Prix at the end of the season. It proved to be a key upgrade, although Bottas was unable to take advantage of it as he split off Zhou in 12th. The Finn was close behind, though, scoring points again in Mexico and Brazil, ensuring Alfa Romeo beat Aston Martin for sixth, picking up an extra $10 million in the process.
It’s a good start to the season alfa romeo A nice finish, but that might be the case if the team maintains the momentum it had started the season with. That’s something they will have to grapple with in 2023, when Bottas will partner Zhou again.
Although he scored just six points to Bottas’ 49, Zhou made few mistakes in his debut. He doesn’t have Bottas’ pace, laps and grands prix, but he hasn’t racked up too many crash damage bills for a novice, even when his dreadful Silverstone crash wrecked him The car was not his fault.
So Alfa Romeo boss Fred Wasser’s decision to keep Zhou instead of promoting his protégé Theo Purcell was a huge recognition for the Chinese driver.
For Bottas’ side, 2022 is his first season on the grid, and he knew from the first checkered flag that he would be there next season. Formula 1 has left Bottas calmer and more relaxed, and he may be dreaming that a link with Audi is on the horizon.
READ MORE: Sebastian Vettel v Lance stroll: One-way traffic in Vettel’s final season
[ad_2]
Source link