For the second consecutive year, Alfa Romeo fell short of its target at the start of the season. But unlike 2022, which had to wrestle with various nascent issues, this year Alpha’s C43 Challenger is a well-balanced platform.

Instead, its problem in tight midfield battles is a lack of sheer presence that makes scoring difficult.

Bottas and teammate Zhou Guanyu have combined for six points from the first four races to keep Alfa eighth in the constructors’ standings, behind pre-season expectations.

While Bottas appreciated that the car was tamer and more balanced than its predecessor, he said on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix that the lack of downforce was arguably “worse” than having a glaring balance issue that could yield quick lap times. “Buff once resolved.

“Honestly, it could have been worse,” reflected Bottas. “If we knew we could correct this balance problem, we could get three out of ten.

“That’s not the case anymore. All we can do is work hard, a lot of it obviously in factories.

“The good news is that it’s very close. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be, but at least we know that if we can find some lap times, we can actually make a decent improvement in the results. That’s certainly the goal.

“Handling has improved over last year, but it lacks sheer performance compared to the rest of the car. It’s better than last year’s car, but the others have taken a bigger step forward.”

Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C43

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

One of the Alfa’s weaknesses has been its poor straight-line pace, suggesting a general lack of efficiency at midfield rivals McLaren as well.

“Straight-line speed wasn’t really an advantage for us,” explained the Finn. “I think we took a step forward in straight-line speed with a different wing in Baku, but obviously that means you compromise in the corners.

“So, to get to that level of efficiency, we still have to work. Also, we’re short of pure load, so we definitely need to get rid of some drag and gain some downforce, which is easier said than done.”

Alfa is making its first upgrades to the track at this time of year, along with most of its rivals, before it gets ready for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola in two weeks’ time.

The upgrade, described by Team Hinwil’s head of track engineering Xevi Pujolar as “bringing overall performance”, adds more all-round grip to the C43.

According to Bottas, the new package will be a good indication of how far his side can go this season.

“I hope to make decent progress at Imola, we’ve got everything so I think it will show how far we can still go this year,” he added. “It’s an all-encompassing thing.

“I can’t really go into detail, but there are some differences, mainly pure performance in terms of downforce. Nothing that affects the balance.

“There will be improvements, but I don’t think we’re the only team planning an update in these games. Of course, we want it to be bigger than everyone else.”