Williams: Bottas finally tastes champagne, Massa tames the pack
Williams can consider themselves satisfied with their Sunday: Valtteri Bottas managed to get ahead of Kimi Räikkönen to deliver the team's first podium of the season, while Felipe Massa, who started from deep in the grid, secured a gratifying sixth place.
Williams had to wait until the Canadian Grand Prix to secure their first podium of the season. Valtteri Bottas’ performance is therefore a relief for the whole team: « I am very happy for the team, really proud. The team truly did a great job this weekend. Kimi’s mistake [a spin at the hairpin] allowed us to gain a position and we also changed our plans regarding strategy, opting for a more aggressive approach. It was really a great race for the team and it wasn’t a bad Sunday for me either. »
The Finnish driver is still optimistic for the next Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, which will highlight the long straights… and the improvements of the Williams: « Regarding Austria, with the developments we will have for this Grand Prix, I think we can really hope to at least repeat this kind of results. »
Starting fifteenth, Felipe Massa took advantage of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit’s straights and his Mercedes engine to begin a strong comeback, which led him to sixth place: « It was a solid race today. I was able to overtake many times. I am happy with my result, but also with Valtteri’s. (…) Without my misfortunes in qualifying, I could have fought for the podium with Valtteri and the Ferraris. »
The Brazilian is also optimistic for the next Austrian Grand Prix. But what does Williams have up their sleeve? “I believe we can be faster in Austria, more competitive, because we’ll have new parts. We’re targeting the Ferraris. We want to get closer to them, we want to fight against them.”
