Williams leaves Chinese Grand Prix empty-handed
Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll had made a good start to their weekend in China. The two Williams drivers had qualified in 6th and 10th positions respectively. On Sunday, however, their hopes were dashed by the Brazilian's 14th place and the Canadian's withdrawal following a collision on the opening lap.
Paddy Lowe, the technical director, was celebrating his 55th birthday on this Saturday, April 8. The good 6th and 10th positions on the starting grid by his two drivers could have served as a present, but the outcome of the race was unfortunately less joyful. Felipe Massa finished in 14th place due to problems with the temperature of his soft tires during the safety car period (following the incident with Antonio Giovinazzi’s Sauber). As for Lance Stroll, who had performed well by making it into the top 10 in qualifying, he had to retire on the first lap after being hit by Sergio Pérez.
Felipe Massa, 14th
Happy and satisfied with his car and performance after Saturday’s qualifying, it was a disappointed Felipe Massa who emerged at the end of this race in Shanghai. He, who hoped to perform well during this race with uncertain weather, only encountered a string of bad luck, including issues at the start followed by problems with his tires, which cut his race pace.
« I am really disappointed today since everything went against us. I had too much wheel spin at the start. Then behind the safety car we spent 5 slow laps with dry-weather tires, so they were completely cold. I wasn’t able to drive properly because it felt like driving on ice. That was the worst part (of the race). We lost a lot of time and positions. »
Felipe Massa continues on his misfortunes and the rest of his race: « Then we tried a risky strategy by stopping before the others to see if we could overtake some people and keep the pace. But it was not possible. »
The native of Sao Paulo is now focusing on Bahrain – which takes place as early as next week – and wants to keep in mind the good result obtained in Australia to move forward: « We must try to reproduce what we did in the first race in Australia and in qualifying here. Now we are projecting and focusing on Bahrain. »
Lance Stroll, retirement (collision on the first lap)
After his impressive performance and his first entry into the Top 10 during qualifying, the Montreal native fell victim to contact with Sergio Perez’s Force India, which was attempting to overtake him on the inside of turn 10 during the first lap. His race ended in the gravel without him being able to resume, as the car was too damaged.
He reflects on what happened: « I got hit from behind in turn 10 and that was the end of my race. I was ahead, I knew I had the advantage (over Sergio Perez) and that I could take the turn. It was really unfortunate that my race ended. I was hit, and the car was damaged, probably a puncture plus suspension damage. »
Despite this early finish, Lance Stroll finds positives in his young learning experience during this weekend: « Although today was difficult, we have positive aspects to take from this weekend, like the good qualifying sessions, even if the race didn’t go as we wanted. But this is just the beginning, and there are still many other opportunities. I’m looking forward to next weekend in Bahrain. That’s what I’m focusing on now. »
However, the Grove team can take consolation from once again having the fastest tire change of the weekend.
Another incredible job by the #FastestPitCrew! 💪#ChineseGP #F1inChina #WeAreRacing pic.twitter.com/jdswjVUOOS
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) 9 avril 2017
