"Barcelona is a track that holds no secrets" - Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas says it is crucial to have a 'flawless weekend' at the 2022 F1 Spanish GP
Valtteri Bottas has stressed the importance of having a 'flawless weekend' of racing at the upcoming 2022 F1 Spanish GP.
As all F1 teams return to one of the most familiar circuits on the calendar, Bottas knows everyone has all the data they need to prepare for the race. He doesn't expect there to be anywhere to hide if they get things wrong at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona.
Speaking in an interview ahead of the second European race this season, the Finnish driver said:
“It is crucial we have a flawless weekend, here more than ever. Barcelona is a track that holds no secrets for any team, so there won’t be any silver bullet to find to be ahead of the others. It will be about execution and doing our homework.”
The former Mercedes and Williams driver went on to add, saying:
“For sure, we arrive in Barcelona in a much happier state than when we left after winter testing, which is proof of how well this team has bounced back after the difficulties we encountered in February. I want to repay all this great work with a good result.”
"You can get more and more out of it" - Valtteri Bottas full of praise for F1 simulators
Valtteri Bottas believes state-of-the-art simulators play a vital role in helping the modern-day F1 driver prepare for races in the 21st century.
The 32-year-old shared his thoughts on the importance of simulators in the sport in the lead up to the inaugural Miami GP, when he said:
“Nowadays, of course, the simulators are hugely important with a lack of testing and as the technology improves, you can get more and more out of it. And the first time I tried the Alfa Sauber simulator, I could feel that there was quite a difference to the one at Mercedes because Mercedes started a long, long time ago and our team, we only started a few years ago.”
Bottas, who has taken on the role of team leader in his first season at Alfa Romeo, went on to add, saying:
“So, of course, there’s catching up to do, but from the first time I tried it versus what it is now it’s already hugely improved and it has been already this year, especially the last couple of events, a really useful tool to kind of support the race weekend.”
Valtteri Bottas goes into the 2022 F1 Spanish GP weekend P8 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 30 points from the first five rounds of the campaign.