2023 Brazilian Grand Prix – Preview

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake prepares for the final Sprint event of the year, a Brazilian Grand Prix that represents a crucial juncture in the run-up to the end of the season.The team, alongside drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, will be aiming for a return to the points and to the form shown in Qatar earlier this month as the fight for the constructors’ standings intensifies. 

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “We head to Brazil for the third and final leg of the triple-header, following two difficult weekends in Texas and Mexico where we haven’t been able to convert good starting grid positions into points finishes, and in which we slipped down the standings to ninth place. Still, we keep our head high and our eyes set on our target. We have shown an improvement in terms of qualifying pace, and the next step is to further improve our race pace, too. Brazil is the final Sprint event of the season, which means we have once again twice the chances to score points this weekend, and the aim is to make the best out of it. Everyone, from our drivers to the trackside team, and our colleagues in Hinwil, are determined to work hard until the end of the season, to bring upgrades to our car and make another step forward, starting from this weekend.” 

Valtteri Bottas (Car 77): “There’s no denying Mexico has been a tough one to take in, especially considering the potential of our starting positions. It was a shame we couldn’t build anything on that, but unfortunately, it really wasn’t our day, and luck didn’t fall on our side either. Now, we have three races to go, in which we all are going to give all our best both on and off the track. Our quali pace has allowed us to make it through the Q3 threshold, but the main focus remains on maximising our potential during the race. Interlagos suited us in the past, it’s a short track in which both driver and car can make a difference. It’s a place where you can fight and have some fun, with overtaking opportunities to climb through the field: hopefully, that’ll be the case, once again, as we aim to quickly get back on our feet and recover the ground lost.” 

Zhou Guanyu (Car 24): “Mexico is a closed chapter, and we have the opportunity to quickly recover from it as we head to Brazil this weekend for the final stint of this triple-header. Interlagos is certainly one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar, and I have enjoyed racing here last year; this weekend will be the sixth and final Sprint event of the season, and therefore it’ll be crucial to get things right from the start with limited practice. All of us are motivated, and ready to fight back after a couple of challenging weekends. We have seen it, just at the start of the month, that great results are within our reach if we all do our job to the best of our capabilities: this shall be our common target, once again, as we prepare to fully extract the potential of our car and get into the mix for points.”