What’s going wrong at Alfa Romeo at the race start and why Valtteri Bottas can’t hope for a quick solution to the technical problems on the C42
“Sometimes we have vibrations on the clutch and […] lose traction.” This is how Valtteri Bottas describes what happens during the starting procedure in his Alfa Romeo C42. Namely, not what is supposed to happen: a good start. Coming from P6 in the 2022 Formula One opener in Bahrain, Bottas indeed had a poor start, finding himself only in P14 at the end of the first lap and losing a lot of ground to the leading group.
But the problem is well known: “We had already noticed it during testing, but unfortunately there is no quick solution here,” Bottas explained ahead of the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia. “It will take at least one or two more races, I don’t know. Only then I think we’ll get a mechanical solution. “
Until then, Alfa Romeo’s only option is to narrow down the technical difficulties on the C42 as much as possible and try to reduce the negative effect. This is “one of the biggest items on the priority list”, Bottas assures, because the vibrations mentioned occur in around half of all the starts that he and team-mate Guanyu Zhou complete.
“The question is how to avoid it: at revs, how to let the clutch come, what the driver is doing,” Bottas says. “We are working in all these areas to hopefully get clean starts with both cars, but also looking at other things. “
Because with a good first lap, there may be more in it for Alfa Romeo: In the opening race in Bahrain, Bottas fought his way back up to P6 over the distance after a poor start.