Bottas "determined" to keep Alfa Romeo "on top of this curve"

Valtteri Bottas has explained Alfa Romeo is "not standing still" and is determined to build on the team's "strong performance" at the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo scored points with both Bottas and his rookie team-mate Guanyu Zhou in Bahrain marking the first time both cars had finished inside the top 10 since the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Bottas' sixth position and Zhou's 10th position the team fourth in the constructors' standings at this very early stage on nine points, a total just four shy of its haul from the entire 2021 season.

“It’s nice to be back in the car soon after a good result," said Bottas ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

"It gives us the chance to build on the strong performance we showed last weekend and fix the things that can be improved.

"It’s still early days in the season and we expect the balance on track to shift backwards and forwards as teams bring updates, but we are not standing still either and we are determined to stay on top of this curve."

Whether badged as Sauber of Alfa Romeo, the Hinwil-based team has finished no higher than eighth in the championship standings since 2014.

"I see real motivation in the team and it was super to see the delight on the faces of everyone there," added Bottas.

"We are going in the right direction and Saudi Arabia will be another race in which we can fight for a good result: the track has undergone some changes to make it even quicker than it was last year.

"I am looking forward to driving the new layout and see if that suits us."

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