Saturday: Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas put Williams on top

Felipe Massa (No. 19) – 3rd and 1st

For the Paulista, it’s a true renaissance. Indeed, this pole position is his first since the Brazilian Grand Prix… 2008! The next day, he almost became world champion… Today, he allows Williams to reconnect with its glorious past: « It’s an incredible moment for me, but the whole team feels the same. The team has a great history and we are continuing to build on it. It’s a special day. »

And this pole has an even more special flavor for family reasons: Today is a day I will not forget. It’s the first time my son sees me in pole position. The emotions are therefore very strong.

However, everything didn’t go ideally during Q3, but the last lap was perfect. And he knows nothing is done for the race: « I had traffic earlier in the session, but when it mattered, I did my best. There’s a lot to do tomorrow, and we have very strong Mercedes behind us. »

Valtteri Bottas (No. 77) – 1st and 2nd

After his first lap in Q3, Valtteri Bottas was leading and thought he could clinch his first F1 pole position. But in the end, he had to settle for second place, which is still the best qualifying result of his career: « I am really happy for us as a team because it’s such a good result. It couldn’t have been a better Saturday for us. I wish I had been on pole, but Felipe did the best lap when it mattered. I pushed a bit too hard in turn 6, but I was already behind my best lap. »

However, he knows that the road to a potential first podium is still long since he will have to face very strong rivals: Tomorrow will not be easy since the Mercedes are still the fastest cars. Strategy will be important. So we have to be smart in our choices. We are better positioned than the Ferraris and the Red Bulls. So it should be fun.