Bottas rues 'costly' issues on Day 1, but Alfa 'understands' them

Valtteri Bottas says Alfa Romeo understands the teething issues that undermined his new team's opening day of pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Alfa reserve driver Robert Kubica kicked off the day but save for a series of installation laps, the Pole spent most of his morning constrained to the Swiss outfit's garage.

Kubica achieved a few timed laps in the closing stages of the morning session, but concluded his day with just 9 laps under his belt.

Bottas picked up in the afternoon but only added 23 laps to Alfa's tally for Wednesday.

"We did have a few issues and, unfortunately, the issues we had were quite costly in terms of time," explained the former Mercedes driver.

"Some issues were from reliability, some issues were with mechanical things, but, luckily, we understand them completely and we know how to fix it.

"We just didn’t have enough time during the day to fix the problem.

“For sure today was compromised, we lacked quite a bit of mileage but at least we got some running and got some kind of idea how to progress for tomorrow.

"Now I just hope we can have two good days in Barcelona, after this."

Barcelona pre-season testing: Day 1 in pictures

Despite the low mileage, Bottas said that he enjoyed driving Alfa's new-spec car.

"Naturally they’re a bit heavier, a bit bigger, but apart from that it’s not like night and day. For sure you need to adjust your driving and there’s still much more learning to do."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.