Bottas left Mercedes to join the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo team (now renamed Stake) for the return of ground effect in 2022.
He enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, scoring points in seven of the opening nine grands prix, as the Swiss squad pipped rivals by hitting the new 798kg minimum car weight limit out of the box.
But the team and driver fell back thereafter by losing out in the development race, with Alfa finishing the season in sixth before falling to ninth (only ahead of Haas) in 2023.
This came despite the gradual takeover from Audi, which has enabled the team to finally spend up to the budget cap.
Ahead of Audi formally returning to the grid in 2026, Bottas says the team must speed up its reaction time when identifying areas to improve in the wind tunnel.
Speaking exclusively to Autosport, the Finn said: “For us at the moment, the way we can turn around upgrades [is a key area that needs to be addressed].
“At the moment, we find something in the wind tunnel, how long it takes to actually get it in the car... That's, I would say, one quite big thing compared to some other things.”
Source: Autosport