Valtteri Bottas reveals why he was tensed in Abu Dhabi
Valtteri Bottas talked about the final race of the season he had with Alfa Romeo and how the final lap turned out to be a little tense. While the team did not finish in points, they achieved what they wanted in the standings.
Throughout the season, there were a lot of issues with the team. However, in their battle with Aston Martin, they got the upper hand. Their plan was to have a defensive strategy during the last race in Abu Dhabi.
Bottas revealed that they wanted to hold up their rivals to not let them score and so claim the position in the standings. He stated that he was tense because he had a little Deja Vu while he waited to hear from his team.
"It worked, but it was a tense few moments in the final lap: waiting to hear if we had made it gave me a bit of a sense of Deja Vu – although tonight we had a much more positive ending than last time around."
Alfa Romeo went under a complete change in drivers this year after they signed Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou. Though the car's reliability was a hurdle, they managed to gain enough points to have a decent mid-field finish.
When the race started, Alfa Romeo had 55 points and Aston Martin was stuck at 50. However, with the defense that Bottas and Zhou played, Aston Martin could only score five points, seeing the sixth position in the championship go to Alfa Romeo.
Quick catch up with @valtteribottas after a day of testing in Abu Dhabi! 🙌
#F1Testing #AbuDhabiGP https://t.co/Mtmwwy6Xmy
Valtteri Bottas 'pleased with the team' after his first season with Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas' season did not go as he might have expected it to since there were a lot of mechanical failures initially. He suffered a major loss of points but made it up by the end of the season. A P6 finish was decent for the team given how fast their next competitor, McLaren, was. Bottas stated that he was pleased with the team after the season.
"I am really pleased for the team. It's an important result and you can see what it means for everyone of us."
Bottas feels that the team has come a long way since the winter testing in early March. He stated that there is 'plenty to look forward to' in the upcoming season and the work they have done this year will help them to progress.