Valtteri Bottas draws a comparison with his Mercedes years and explains where the Stake team needs to improve ahead of the Audi arrival
After a disappointing 2023 season for the Stake team (then Alfa Romeo), which saw them finish ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, Valtteri Bottas has spoken to Motorsport.com’s global edition about the areas in which the team needs to improve:
“At the moment, the most important thing is to change the way we bring upgrades to the car. It simply takes too long for our findings from the wind tunnel to be transferred to the car.”
The team got off to a good start with the current generation of cars. In 2022, Bottas finished in the points seven times in the first nine races and had 49 points to his name at the end of the season. But in 2023, the team fell behind in the development race and scored just 16 points in the entire season, ten of which went to Bottas
Aerodynamics must improve
In order to bring the team up to speed in the technical area and prepare it for the Audi era from 2026, Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl has already appointed James Key, an old McLaren colleague, as the new Head of Engineering.
He met Bottas for dinner, where they also discussed the areas of the car that need the most improvement, as Bottas reveals: “On the mechanical side, we need a few changes here and there to be able to play with the balance more, and the aerodynamics obviously need to improve.”
“Key has looked closely at all the figures, the aerodynamic profile, the suspension and the track and he also sees potential for improvement, especially because he still has the figures from McLaren in his head. For someone like him, who has held such positions for a very long time, it immediately starts to work in his head and he immediately develops new ideas. “
There is also a need to catch up at the location
But Bottas and Key also seem to work well on an interpersonal level: “I like him as a person. He is very motivated and really wants to deliver. “
However, Bottas, who has won ten Grand Prix in his five years at Mercedes and has always won the constructors’ world championship, knows that work still needs to be done at the site in Hinwil, Switzerland, in order to celebrate long-term success: “Some of the facilities are a bit outdated. In comparison [with Mercedes], you can already see a clear difference. But the team has a plan for how we can close this gap.”
“The good thing is that we have a very good wind tunnel and many ovens in which the carbon is cured. And, of course, very good staff who don’t always complain about everything. “
