Alfa Romeo hopes to maintain position with small improvements

Alfa Romeo will depend on minor updates in the closing stages of the season in a bid to defend against Aston Martin as reported by Auto, Motor und Sport. Alfa Romeo reportedly have run out of budget for bigger changes.

With only four races to go, Alfa Romeo must try hard to defend its place among the constructors. The Swiss team is currently in sixth place, but Aston Martin is closing in fast. Currently, Alfa Romeo still has a lead of just seven points.

Alfa Romeo had a good first half of the season, quickly securing a spot in the midfield. But since the summer break - now nine races back - the team has managed to bring in just one point. In contrast, Aston Martin has had at least one car in the points in almost every race during the same period, and in Singapore even both. So it is clear that Alfa Romeo needs to change something if it wants to maintain its position.

Small changes should provide relief

At this point in the season, Alfa Romeo no longer has the time or budget for big changes, and so the team has to depend on small upgrades in the hope of gaining that little bit of extra time. In Japan, an adjustment was made to the front wing and nose of the car. To no avail: Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu finished fifteenth and 16th respectively.

For the upcoming race in Austin, the team has invested in a new floor. Further work on the front-end tuning will also be done at that race. The hope is that by improving the car a little more each race and fine-tuning the new front wing just a little more, Alfa Romeo can maintain their position in the championship.