Alfa Romeo is aiming for the top with leader Valtteri Bottas

After years of crisis, deprivation and investments, the Hinwil team is on the road to success. A daring tactic works for boss Frédéric Vasseur. Alfa Romeo also wants to convince in Monaco at the weekend.

Valtteri Bottas turns out to be a transfer coup for Alfa Romeo.

Alejandro Garcia/EPA

Perhaps the best way to see the change in Hinwil is by looking at the facial expressions of Frédéric Vasseur and Valtteri Bottas after the last two races. The French team boss and the Finnish racing driver obediently held up their champagne glasses, they smiled, but the twitching corners of their mouths showed a little disappointment. Seventh place at the premiere in Miami, then sixth place in Montmeló – how the corks would have popped a year ago. In the whole of last season you hadn’t made such placements.

But that’s how it is after the sixth Grand Prix of the year almost every day for the Swiss-named Alfa Romeo team. Bottas has finished in the points four times in a row, even close to the podium. The meager yield of 13 points from last season has already tripled. And if Chinese debutant Guanyu Zhou had been spared bad luck and defects, there would have been far more points to his tally ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Team boss Vasseur has an unusually optimistic motto for the classic: “The world should see how well we’re doing this season.”

McLaren is the main opponent

This documents the reorientation that has begun at Alfa Romeo. Instead of fighting desperately to avoid slipping to the bottom of the table, Vasseur’s side are now aiming for dominance in midfield. The main opponent is the British McLaren team, which is still in fourth place with an eleven-point lead. The works team from Renault Alpine and the Red Bull second team Alpha Tauri are currently behind them.

In this table region, everything points to a big four-way battle. The distances on the slopes are often marginal, there are many position changes. The technical rule changes in combination with the strict budget cap ensure the desired balance. The competition is already working on upgrades in order not to let Alfa Romeo rush, while Hinwil is working on the technical counterattack. Real competitive opportunities – that’s what the makers of the premier class had been working towards for so long.

A daring tactic has already worked for Frédéric Vasseur. The manager, who is also CEO of the entire Sauber Group, wrote off last season early in order to concentrate entirely on the new generation of vehicles with the suction effect cars. Vasseur had put himself under a lot of pressure, and it was also necessary to prevent an imminent takeover by the Andretti family from the USA. And: Vasseur had to fight an internal power struggle against financial manager Pascal Picci.

The clever tactician was victorious in all disputes. The replacement of the recently hapless driver team Kimi Räikkönen / Antonio Giovinazzi was not without controversy among the fans. But all in all, one can speak of a completely new beginning in Hinwil, appropriate to the 30th year in the premier class. If the conditions remain stable, the dream of a podium finish can come true. Vasseur spoke of a new chapter in the team’s history ahead of the season. In fact, the potential seems to be there.

One car for all types of routes?

In order to be able to earn one’s wages after years of crisis, deprivation and investments, a solid vehicle base is essential. So far, the car by Belgian designer Jan Monchaux, christened the C42, has been one of those cars that are hardly affected by the phenomenon of racing cars bouncing over the asphalt. In addition to the eight points most recently in Spain, it is above all the flexible and light vehicle concept that fuels the expectation of being able to be successful on all types of circuits.

A symbolic technical equivalent of the overall condition of Alfa Romeo: the basics are right and they seem stable enough to calmly start the hoped-for high flight. The general driver is of course the new drive train, which is supplied by engine partner Ferrari from Maranello and is currently considered the strongest in the field.

During the pre-season test drives of the radically new vehicle generation, the car from the Zurich Oberland was still considered a problem child. A lot of positive things have happened since then. The fast and targeted crisis management speaks for the new strength of the team, which has been increased by a good 250 specialists in recent years thanks to the financial security provided by the Swedish owners. It was more of a clandestine team building that is now starting to pay off.

The well-known efficiency from the founding days, combined with fresh ideas and improved processes. The self-confidence of the technical department is so great that the gearbox housing and the rear wheel suspension have not been taken over by Ferrari, but have been designed in-house. Both components have proven themselves. The strength of the squad is also something that the potential investor Audi, who is looking for a reliable partner for his Formula 1 entry in 2026, is looking at.

Points in each race are the minimum requirement

“We have the speed for the top ten,” Frédéric Vasseur can say without exaggerating the sporting reality. This reflects the increased self-confidence. As a minimum requirement for each race, the team boss sees both cars in the second qualifying lap, one in the top ten in qualifying and points in the race.

Above all, Valtteri Bottas has so far provided the countable proof. The 32-year-old Finn, who served as Lewis Hamilton’s shadow man at Mercedes for five years, is now one of the greatest assets in all of Formula 1. A meticulous worker and constant fighter, with forward drive and fresh courage. “With every good result, we push even more,” says Bottas.

Despite this, his superior does not want to claim that his reliable performance surprised him. What Vasseur wants to say: He believed in Botta’s abilities from the start and therefore gave him a multi-year contract. More of a psychological than a legal component. “He always had to fight at Mercedes, with us he has security.” Emphatic postscript: “Valtteri is our leader.” Team and driver grow together.

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