Sunday: The two Williams finish just outside the points
Pastor Maldonado nearly achieved a feat by climbing from 18th place to 9th place. Nevertheless, the deterioration of his tires prevented him, and he only finished 13th, just behind his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.
Valtteri Bottas – 12th
« I was a bit unlucky with the first lap accident as I locked my wheels and lost a position while others managed to gain places. The first stint was tough because I was struggling with the super softs, but the pace improved significantly in the second stint with the mediums. The safety car allowed me to get closer to the top 10. In the end, it was about ensuring we had enough grip in the tires to fight for a few points in the last laps. I think 12th is a fair result since the cars ahead of us had a better pace throughout the weekend. »
Pastor Maldonado – 13th
I had a very good first lap, moving up to 9th place after the third turn accident allowed me to gain many positions. I tried to maintain my place in the top 10, but the safety car hurt us today as the cars behind were able to close in on me. After the second restart, they were simply too fast and managed to overtake me. It’s disappointing not to finish in the points, but the final result is a good representation of our weekend’s performance. We need to work hard to find some improvements for next week’s race in Japan.
