The Hinwil team had a new front wing in Australia and an improved beam wing in Miami, but Bottas said more was needed to push the C43 further forward.

The Finn highlighted race pace as a weakness and the former Mercedes driver finished 13th in the Miami event despite making it to Q3.

“For some reason, on the one lap with the soft tyres, we were strong, but in the long run I think that’s where we are,” Bottas said. “I can’t do more.

“It started well, we were in a good position. I was trying to keep the top 10, but unfortunately I think that’s more a reflection of the real speed of the car.

“Definitely good knowledge, but the fact is we absolutely need those new things that we got at Imola. Hopefully this will give us an improvement so we have a better chance of fighting for a top 10 finish.

“We do have a lot of new stuff for that. So looking forward to it. We absolutely need it, so yeah, let’s see how we get there.”

alfa romeo Head of track engineering Xevi Pujolar admits the team must improve its game in all areas.

Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo F1 Team

Photography: Alexander Trienitz / motorsport pictures

“We didn’t have any particular corner struggling,” he said. “If you look at Melbourne and Baku, we struggled on the straights but also in the corners.

“It’s everywhere, and we’re pushing the envelope in all areas. Not just cars, but operations and drivers.”

“We’ve got a package ready for Imola. Hopefully that will help too. The thing is I’m sure everyone will get a package at Imola, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Pujolar points out that small margins can make a big difference in a midfield group.

“Everything is so tight that you have some teams that struggle more,” he said. “And that’s it, you’re in the group again.

“So for us, in terms of performance, we’re still not where we want to be, we’re just struggling in all areas because it’s very tight. Once you go from one track to another, the total There will be a reason you can back off.”