Williams surprised by Haas in Qualifying
Williams' bad run continues: once again, neither of Grove's two drivers made it through to Q3. They simply didn't expect to be beaten by the two Haas drivers!
For the third consecutive time, Valtteri Bottas was unable to qualify for the final phase of qualifying and had to settle for the 11th fastest time in Q2. The contrast is striking compared to last year, where the Finn had qualified in 3rd position on the grid.
If traffic in Q2 didn’t help him in his quest, Valtteri Bottas admits that his car is simply lacking pure performance compared to the rest of the field: « When you remember our qualifying performance here in recent years, it’s disappointing not to make it to Q3. We simply weren’t fast enough today. I had a bit of traffic in Q2 but the speed just wasn’t there. »
He will at least have the satisfaction of getting the better of his teammate since Felipe Massa couldn’t do better than 12th. The future retiree did not expect to be eliminated outside of Q3: « I think the biggest surprise comes from the Haas times. Both of them qualified ahead of us and the Force Indias in Q2. We are a tenth slower compared to the Force India, like in Malaysia, but I was surprised by the Haas. »
Nevertheless, with a free choice of tires for the race, both drivers hope to be able to make up for this initial deficit and move up in the hierarchy, so as not to let Force India pull ahead in the championship. Felipe Massa will be eager to stop his streak of two consecutive races without a single point.
