Massa: Williams may be Mercedes’ main rival
After a race that ended at the first corner, Felipe Massa was able to observe the Grand Prix of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, and he believes that Williams has the means to be among the best.
Harpooned by a Caterham judged uncontrollable for its driver Kamui Kobayashi, Felipe Massa experienced a very short season-opening Grand Prix, not even managing to reach the first corner. A frustrating situation given the performance of Valtteri Bottas who, despite starting from 15th position on the grid, delivered one of the most spectacular races to finish 5th, despite contact with the wall early in the race, forcing the Finn to complete a third of a lap on three wheels before being immobilized in the pits for about fifteen seconds. The FW36 of the Williams Martini Racing team seemed one of the most comfortable on the Melbourne track, even leaving Bottas with regrets.
When asked whether Williams is not the main rival of Mercedes, Felipe Massa did not seek to deny it: « It’s not impossible. If we look at the McLarens, they really had a good race. They both finished in good points and they are leading the championship [by teams]. I mean, Australia was a race where we could have finished with both cars and in a position similar to the McLarens, so maybe we would have been first in the championship. »
« Everything is possible now, » he added for our British colleagues from Autosport. « Seeing where we are compared to the others, I have to say that Mercedes is, for the moment, too fast for us, but after Mercedes, it’s open and we can be there. »
Felipe Massa is happy with his car, even though it clearly seemed to lag in wet conditions during qualifying, before bouncing back in the dry on Sunday: « I am very happy with the car, to be honest. I am happy with the performances we are delivering. »
« There is still a lot to improve anyway. You always think about the bad things you have in the car, and those things made us lose many positions in qualifying. » Bad things that can translate, in particular, into a lack of aerodynamic downforce, a deficit in rear traction, and lower speed on a wet track.
« This car has an impressive scope for improvement, and I’m pushing the team really, really hard to enhance it and to go in the direction that, I’m sure, will be better and more competitive as well, » said the driver with number 19.
In summary, Williams Martini is in a good dynamic: « There is a lot to do, but looking at where we are, I think it’s a very good start. The car is clearly more competitive in the race than in qualifying. »
