The conflict between Massa and Bottas was resolved by Williams
The Malaysian Grand Prix was marked by backstage turmoil within the Williams team between the two lead drivers, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas. Team orders were not followed, and various mood swings between the two protagonists forced the British team to resolve the issue internally after the race.
During the Malaysian Grand Prix held this weekend on the Sepang track, the Williams team was in the spotlight at the end of the race when Felipe Massa’s engineer instructed him to let his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who was right behind him and apparently faster, pass.
At this moment in the race, just a few laps from the checkered flag, the two Williams cars were stuck in 7th and 8th place behind the slower McLaren of Jenson Button. Felipe Massa, unable to overtake the Briton, was instructed by his team to step aside to allow his Finnish teammate, who considered himself faster, to try his luck. To this, the Brazilian refused to comply.
After the race, the Williams team set things straight and initiated a discussion between the two drivers and the chief engineer, Rod Nelson, as the latter confirms: « We sat down with both drivers to talk about what happened this afternoon in Malaysia. »
Evidently, once the tension subsided, the two drivers aligned with the team’s opinion, which wants to prioritize its own interest in the Constructors’ Championship above all: « They understood the team’s position, and why they were asked what they were asked during the race, which was strategic and what could be best for the team, namely to allow each of our drivers to attack Jenson Button to be ahead of him. This is now clear, and we have acted as a team. Our focus is now on Bahrain next weekend. »
After the race, Felipe Massa also tried to downplay the situation by stating: “I’ve clarified my situation. I have no problem and I feel really, really comfortable within the team.”
On his side, Valtteri Bottas, visibly annoyed by his teammate’s behavior, had answered with a laconic “Yes” to the question he had been asked about whether he was faster than Massa at that point in the race.
Even though Williams believes the issue is settled between the two men, this clash, occurring very early in the year, may leave its mark on a season where Williams finally seems capable of competing for top positions.
