F1 | Alfa Romeo, Bottas and Zhou bid farewell to the Italian Biscione

Hello Alfa Romeo. It ends ad Abu Dhabi the third adventure of Biscione Italian in formula 1: in 2018 the Clean wears Alfa colours, with driving Marcus Ericsson and a rookie Charles Leclerc. Then, Whom Raikkonen e Antonio Giovinazzi, up to today's line-up made up of Valtteri Bottas e Zhou Guangyu. The best result in 2022, when the Finn and the Chinese took sixth place in the constructors' championship. The team does everything to finish the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the points, but even Bottas' aggressive strategy doesn't pay off: the two remain at the bottom of the standings. From next year, the drivers and the team will be the same: the colors change, the Sauber ones return.

“Unfortunately we weren't fast enough. We tried to differentiate the strategies and I tried for the one-stop strategy, but the tires started to fail and we weren't able to recover. It went like this for the whole season, we never had enough pace to really fight and score points – commented Bottas, nineteenth – it was a decidedly long championship, for all of us here on the track and in the factory in Hinwil, and I'm grateful for being able to spend some time away from the slopes to recharge. I want to thank everyone for their hard work, the guys on the track, for example Hinwil and colleagues from Ferrari. I would also like to thank Alfa Romeo for these years together, I wish them the best for the future: I am proud to have been part of their history. Now we focus on 2024: the project of the new car, from what I've seen, seems interesting, and we will work hard internally to get back to being stronger."

Seventeenth, however, Zhou Guanyu. Like his teammate, the Chinese never stopped fighting during this long championship, but also in Abu Dhabi the two had to deal with the capabilities of C43, who is officially retiring.

“Not the best way to end the season, but we stayed out there and tried everything. I'm not surprised by our pace, the feeling with the car wasn't constant right from qualifying: we weren't going at all in these conditions. It is the end of a long and difficult season: we end with good memories, such as that of the Doha race or our qualification in Budapest, but the awareness remains that we have to do better for 2024. Many people have worked hard to make us race and they deserve our gratitude: the mechanics, technicians and all the engineers on the track; the boys and girls from Hinwil; our partners in Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. I want to thank Alfa Romeo for everything they have done for us, for these two years spent together: it is a legendary brand and I wish them the best. It will be a new beginning: the factory team is working hard to allow us to fight at the front. Now it is important for us to catch our breath, recover after this long season to return full of energy. This is my chance to return to Shanghai, which I don't do often, to spend some time with my family and friends, and then to better prepare for next year."