Positive Alfa Romeo update given on Valtteri Bottas & Guanyu Zhou partnership

Alfa Romeo Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has said that Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou are collaborating well ahead of the new season, with them pairing up for the first time.

Alfa are the only team on the grid with an all-new driver line-up and, with completely fresh regulations coming into Formula 1 for 2022, there’s a real sense of new beginnings within the team.

Certainly, they’ll be hoping that they can therefore move themselves up the field after a testing campaign last year and Vasseur appears happy with the driver line-up that he has got.

“I think it was the right moment for us… to do the [driver] change,” said Vasseur.

“But for me, it’s not an issue at all to start with a new line-up this season.

“It was very important to have someone with huge experience of F1 and with Valtteri we have [that], and he will be supportive with Zhou. The collaboration is more than good so far between them.

“They are really collaborating very well, it’s important for Zhou, but let’s see… I think we don’t have to put pressure on Zhou’s shoulders, but F1 is a huge step – not only on driving, because I think driving is not far away from F2 – but more about management of everything, including you [the press].

“I’m confident because the approach is a good one: he’s positive, open-minded, let’s see.”