Bottas says trouble-free Friday will unleash Alfa potential

Valtteri Bottas says an opening day of running in Baku next weekend void of issues would likely allow Alfa Romeo to exploit the full potential of its C42 contender.

Bottas has scored a top-ten finish in every race so far this season bar one – the Saudi Arabian GP – and delivered 40 of Alfa's 41 points in the Constructors' championship.

The Finn has showcased the potential of his team's new-generation car, but disrupted Fridays have also often weighed on Alfa's preparations.

Bottas is hoping for a trouble-free start to his Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend to extract the most from his car in qualifying and on race day at a venue where he won with Mercedes in 2019.

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"Baku is a place with both good and bad memories for me, so I definitely hope to add some more of the pleasant kind this weekend," he said in Alfa's race preview.

"It’s crucial we can have a trouble-free weekend: we have been having some good results despite some Friday issues so far, and if we were to fix these, we could really see the full potential of our package.

"We know we can fight towards the front when we do it and it has to be the aim here as well.

"This is a track that can produce some chaotic races so we will need to be ready to make the most of any opportunity. It could be a lot of fun on Sunday."

Although Alfa's race weekends have rarely been clean, team boss Fred Vasseur gave a positive assessment of the Swiss outfit's season year-to-date.

"We have done really well so far and we can be satisfied with the results we achieved, but we know we will need to keep working hard in every round to get the most out of each weekend," said Vasseur.

"We saw in Monaco how the margins are really small: you can go from P6 to P16 in a blink of an eye. This is why we need to be really sharp and make the most of every session, of every lap."

Vasseur says that one of the qualities of Alfa's C42 is its ability to perform well on a diversity of circuits.

"I do expect our car to suit this track but, then again, our C42 has been performing well in all kinds of circuit so far," he said.

"The objectives remain similar to previous rounds – progress as much as possible with both cars in qualifying and aim to have both in the points come Sunday."

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