The Alfa Romeo team is looking forward to the Styrian Grand Prix with blinders on to the disappointment of the French race last weekend.
Heading into Round 8 in search of points, Kimi Raikkonen said the team’s “focus is fully on Austria and not on what happened in France.
“We have learned our lessons and we are now determined to do better”.
The Finnish driver and his Italian teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi head to the Red Bull Ring knowing the challenge won’t be easy, but will be fighting to come away with some much-needed points.
“Austria is one of those tracks that look easy but are not: it’s short and there are only a few corners where time can be gained or lost, which means each of them is crucial for the lap time”, Raikkonen said.
“Managing the traffic, both in qualifying and in the race, will also be a key factor but, in the end, that will be the same for everyone.
“I hope we get to score points on this weekend, it’d be a nice birthday present for Alfa Romeo. In the end, we need to do a better job than our rivals and then we will have the chance to score points.”
Meanwhile, Giovinazzi is optimistic about their potential to compete against fellow midfielders this weekend.
“Austria is a track I like, one where I have some good memories: I scored my first point there, in 2019, and in 2020 I brought home ninth place after a quite exciting race.
“I am keen to add to these moments and I am looking forward to racing there twice in two weeks. I find you can really get into a rhythm and build on each session and I feel you can really extract the most from yourself and the car.
“We have been doing better in most of the recent races and I can’t wait to get back in the fight for the top ten on Sunday.”
Alfa Romeo is eighth in the Constructors’ Standings with just 2 points heading into R8, while Raikkonen and Giovinazzi have one point each in the Drivers’ Standings filling P15 and P16.
