Sunday: Williams and Maldonado fail to secure points
Even though the overall pace of the Williams is better, the race did not allow the Grove men to bring back points: while Pastor Maldonado was able to glimpse the top 10, Valtteri Bottas suffered from traffic and its harmful consequences on his car and tires.
Pastor Maldonado – 12th:
« It was a better weekend for us, with the car showing a better race pace, which is encouraging. I got a good start again and gained places on the first lap. I was fighting at the end to try and get us back into the top 10 but unfortunately, we didn’t do it today. We can take some positives from this weekend and I feel that we are closer to the points, so I hope we can score some in the last three races.
Valtteri Bottas – 16th:
The first stint was very slippery for me and I was sliding much more than the other cars, and I lost a few positions, but my pace in the first stint improved, and I had more and more grip with the tires. However, I had a radio failure which meant my first pit stop was later than planned, and I lost places on the track, and in the second stint, I was battling with many other cars and that traffic cost a bit of time. Our race pace was better than in the last races, and I felt I had the right strategy, but the lack of driving in clean air didn’t allow me to capitalize on it and aim for points.