Williams couldn’t do better in Malaysia
Williams no longer seems to be the third force on the grid since its two drivers couldn't compete against the Mercedes and Ferraris. They thus finished 5th and 6th.
The two drivers from the Grove team couldn’t resist the comeback of Kimi Räikkönen, who was handicapped by a puncture at the beginning of the race. They then saw the Finn overtake them during the third pit stop.
It is interesting to note the contrast in statements made by Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, as the former expresses satisfaction with his race while the latter shows disappointment. The overtake made by the Finn on his teammate in the last lap may contribute significantly to this contrasting state of mind.
Thus, Valtteri Bottas stated: « In the end, it was a pleasant race. I was always in the wrong place at the start and lost a few positions and time. I got the maximum performance out of the car and it was great to be able to fight with Felipe at the end. »
The latter lamented the time lost in the pits, a frequent issue within the team: « I don’t think it was a fantastic race today. We had a small problem in the pits, where we lost time. Valtteri was able to catch up with me in the last laps, but it was nice to fight wheel to wheel. »
Rob Smedley, the team’s performance chief, acknowledged that his drivers were in the deserved position given their car at the moment: « It was a good team performance and we finished with the maximum possible points given the pace of our car. It was a tough race in the heat but we identified a few areas where we need to improve our car. We recovered well after a difficult Saturday and it was nice to see both cars fighting at the end. »
