12/09/2023
NEWS STORY
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake returns to action with the first of the flyaway races, the Singapore Grand Prix. Following a points-scoring performance last time out in Monza, the team will aim to continue its run of form under the lights of the Marina Bay circuit.
Momentum is a beautiful thing. It's a force, invisible but powerful, that can drive people, things and events in unexpected ways, building up to results few would have predicted. Momentum cannot be explained in simple terms: it defies being put in a box. It is hard to pinpoint: it just happens, often from a small stimulus.
The point scored by Valtteri Bottas in Monza can be just such stimulus. After a few races on the edge of the top ten, bringing home a reward, especially in front of a supportive crowd and in an event as important for our season as Monza, was important for the team. It provided the boost for those trackside to keep pushing for the perfect weekend; it provided extra motivation for the team back home in Hinwil, who work tirelessly to improve the cars - and who produced a new package of upgrades that will make its debut in Singapore.
The next eleven weeks will be a headlong rush to the end of the season. With races spanning every end of the globe, there's so much at stake: it will require stamina, skill and determination to come out on top of this challenge. The team, back in Hinwil and trackside, is committed to perform - and the boost a result like the one in Italy can make the difference between success and failure.
As we head to Singapore for the first of the closing flyaways, we will aim to harness this energy in our pursuit of points. It will take all we have, perfect execution - and a bit of luck. But then again, this is where momentum sometimes comes in - and momentum, we know, is such a beautiful, mysterious thing.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "The European season is behind us, and it is now time to head overseas for the final eight races of the season. We head to Singapore with great motivation: returning to the top ten in Monza gave us a great confidence boost, having executed a flawless race that turned the tide from a challenging start to the weekend. This is how we should approach every race: if we are at the top of our performance, we'll be able to maximise every opportunity. We are bringing a new, important package to Singapore, which asked a lot of effort from our home team over the past months: hopefully it'll help us in the chase for more points finishes. It'll be crucial, on a track like Singapore with its peculiar layout and climate conditions, to get the feeling right from the start, and improve our performances throughout the sessions."
Valtteri Bottas: "It was good to get back into the points in Monza: we all needed that, after a few difficult races, and being at our home Grand Prix with the support of our colleagues on the grandstands made it even more special. A point, however, is not enough, and I am hungry for more: we still have eight races to go before the end of the season, and we will push until the very end to achieve our targets. Singapore is a unique track, and both the weather conditions and it being a street track make it even more challenging. We are set to bring a new package this weekend, which should help us make an extra step forward, and I am looking forward to testing it on track. The team back at the factory is working really hard to improve our car and we just need to keep pushing for any opportunity to score."
Zhou Guanyu: "Singapore is the closest to a home race for me this season and that makes it a special race. Last year, the support from fans on the grandstands was amazing: I will also be joined by family and friends trackside, but the focus is firmly on doing well on track. It was good for the team to be back in the top ten in Monza: this is proof we still have it on us to do well, and that we can keep pushing for our stated objectives. I have some unfinished business in Singapore after last year's race in which I was taken out: it would be great to do well here and bring more points to the team. We have new parts coming this weekend, and they'll hopefully allow us to make that extra step to challenge our competitors: with eight races left, including three Sprint events, we still have many chances to add more points to our tally and move up in the standings."