Williams caught in the rain
Disappointment for WIlliams, who managed no better than 8th (Valtteri Bottas) and 10th (Felipe Massa). The rain was not kind to them.
Two years ago, the two Williams were on the front row at Spielberg. It will not be the same tomorrow as Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were unable to make the most of the changing weather conditions at the end of the session.
For Valtteri Bottas, the problem is related to getting his tires up to temperature during Q3: “Everything was going well in Q1 and Q2 in the dry, but getting the tires up to temperature was complicated in mixed conditions. Initially, we struggled with the intermediates and when we switched to slicks, the biggest problem was heating the tires.”
Under these conditions, the Finn only managed to finish 8th, even though he gains a place on the grid thanks to Sebastian Vettel’s penalty. He will therefore start three places ahead of his teammate, who was caught out by the timing by being the first to complete his last lap, which significantly disadvantaged him compared to his competitors: « The conditions in Q3 were tricky. One lap, you’re third, the next you’re 10th. It’s very difficult to understand the situation when the track is improving so much. I was the first car to start the last lap. The last car had a much drier track. »
The two drivers will therefore attempt to use their Mercedes engine to their advantage during the race to compensate for this underperformance in qualifying.
From our special correspondent in Spielberg
