What we learned from Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou’s first C42 run in Barcelona »FirstSportz

The first pre-season test in Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has ended and all 10 teams have successfully completed dismantling their 2022 car. With the new rules in place, every bit of data gathered from the test will be helpful in crafting strategies throughout the season. Let’s know how Alfa Romeo administered in the Barcelona Trial.

Just arrived Valtteri Bottas replaces fellow Finn Kimi Raikonnen and will collaborate with the debutant Guanyu Zhou for the 2022 Formula One season. Alfa Romeo had a forgettable 2021 season when ranked 9th in the rankings, behind Williams. The Italians hope for better luck as new regulations are enacted to give the team a fresh start.

Valtteri Bottas time and lap completed

Bottas, who finished 3rd in the 2021 Drivers’ Championship had a pretty tough pre-season test. Finn was only able to count 54 rounds in 3 days of testing. Bottas said “we there were some problems and the problems we encountered were quite time consuming. Some of the problems we had were reliability issues, some were mechanical problems. We get it, luckily absolutely and we understand how to fix it, it’s just that we don’t have enough time in the day to fix it properly. ”

Guanyu Zhou Lap Timings and laps finished

With his Formula 1 debut in the 2022 season, Guanyu Zhou will become the first Chinese national athlete to race the sport. He did not show up on the first day of the test but replaced test driver Robert Kubica for the remaining 2 days. With 112 rounds, Zhou made more rounds than Bottas in 3 days, outperforming him on both occasions. His best time was 1:21:885 on day 2 ending P16.

Zhou quickly bought Red Flag on day 3 after losing control on turn 10, pausing trading for 20 minutes. The Chinese driver returned to the wheel in the final minutes of the test but was stopped on the track due to some technical problems.

Also read: Barcelona pre-season test: Normality restored as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell…

The struggles Alfa Romeo faces

All squads Alfa Romeo and Haas completed a century of laps on the first day and finished the second-lowest lap total: 175. The team faced major three-day reliability issues, and the lack of mileage seemed worrisome. hesitate.

Bottas hopes and says “It’s just a test and we can’t really compare what we’re doing with other teams, but it feels like we’re on the right track. The most important thing is to work together as a team to ensure we are one step ahead of the test in Bahrain.”

Even rookie driver Zhou said, “I’m confident we can make up for the lost time and be fully ready for the season ahead.” He said the team was able to gather enough data from his runs and so it shouldn’t be a big deal, but that won’t be enough to silence critics..

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Key positive points for Alfa Romeo to promote

There are few positives for Alfa Romeo after a series of racing games in Barcelona. The team is yet to reveal their new car and we can only hope that the reliability issues will be resolved before heading to Bahrain. While the team hasn’t encountered any major aerodynamic hurdles, the team will have to tackle the Purpoising challenge and will bring the modified Aero gear to the next test session.

Alfa Romeo will announce the official license of the C42 on February 27 before heading to Bahrain for the Official Pre-Season Test. The team prepared for the digital launch, with images and videos released to the public and media.

Also read: Mercedes pre-season testing: What we learn from George Russell and Lewis…