2023 Mexican Grand Prix – Saturday report
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake placed two cars in Q3 in qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix, with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in 9th and 10th position respectively. This result came after a solid progression through the practice sessions, in which the team kept fine-tuning the C43’s setup for the unique characteristics of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
With two cars in the top ten on tomorrow’s grid, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake will be aiming to bring more points to the board and continue its progression in the final stages of the championship.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: “The result we have achieved today definitely represents a solid starting point for tomorrow’s race. We are delighted for both cars to have made it into Q3, and we must pay tribute to our drivers, to everyone trackside, as well as the team back home in Hinwil, and to our engine suppliers, Ferrari. We were able to properly maximise our package today, and I reckon we have a real chance to add points to our tally tomorrow. It wasn’t easy out there, but both Valtteri and Zhou did a solid job, having been able to extract the maximum from their cars and from their own performance. Now, our focus remains on tomorrow’s race: the job is only halfway done, and our sole target must be converting these favourable starting positions into two points finishes. Today has been a good day for the team, but tomorrow is when we must be at our best and achieve good things.”
Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake C43 (Chassis 02/Ferrari)
FP3: 6th / 1:18.437 (26 laps)
Q1: 1:18.429 (5 laps)
Q2: 1:18.016 (6 laps)
Q3: 9th / 1:18.032 (6 laps)
“It’s great to have both cars in Q3, especially considering where we were just a week ago. I am really proud of the team for the work done: everything ran smoothly today. The track definitely suits our car quite well, so it’s been good fun out there: I think I got the most out of our car today, despite a lock-up in the last sector on my final lap. Looking ahead to tomorrow, with the pace we’ve shown so far, as well as what we have learnt in practice, I reckon we have a concrete chance to bring home some good points, so I am looking forward to getting in the mix.”
Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake C43 (Chassis 01/Ferrari)
FP3: 12th / 1:18.917 (21 laps)
Q1: 1:19.016 (6 laps)
Q2: 1:18.440 (6 laps)
Q3: 10th / 1:18.050 (3 laps)
“I am happy with the step we have made today, after a challenging Friday. I felt we had a stronger car in race pace than on the single lap, so to be in Q3, on the same level as Valtteri who had been confident with the car from the beginning, is a very good result. The margins have been tiny all weekend, and we knew track limits would be an issue on this track: we waited in the car at the end of Q2, and indeed we got promoted into Q3. In the final segment, I squeezed everything out of the car – I don’t think I left anything on the table. We kept improving with each session, feeling more comfortable with each lap. Now, with two cars in the top ten, we have a good chance to score points: we will still need a strong race tomorrow, but we’ve put ourselves in a good position to do so.”
