Valtteri Bottas, a rookie like no other

In 2013, there will be five newcomers on the Formula 1 grids – six if Force India decides to appoint Jules Bianchi. Among them is Valtteri Bottas, who will team up with Pastor Maldonado at Williams. But for Xevi Pujolar, chief race engineer, the Finnish driver is not really a rookie in F1. It is true that Bottas took part in no fewer than fifteen free practice sessions during the 2012 season at the wheel of Bruno Senna’s FW34. Furthermore, the 23-year-old has been part of the Grove family since 2010. Therefore, he is not stepping into unfamiliar territory as he begins his first championship, and vice versa.

« Because he has been with us for many years and because he has participated in a few Friday test sessions, we know him very well. We don’t feel like he’s a rookie. His feedback is very good, » explains Pujolar to our colleagues at Autosport.

Therefore, Pujolar hopes that Bottas will be able to push Pastor Maldonado to his limits and that healthy competition will quickly emerge between the two men to boost the team. Pastor improved at the end of last season, and when Bottas was in the car, he showed good performance. If he continues in this direction, it will be beneficial to have two drivers pushing each other. It can be a lasting competition within the team, analyzes the engineer who was Maldonado’s engineer in 2011.

Williams will discover its FW35 on track next week in Barcelona, the venue for the second private testing session of the year. The English team had participated in the Jerez tests with a modified 2012 FW34. It was an opportunity for Xevi Pujolar to settle into his new job: « The tests have been very important because I am in a new role, and other people in the team also have new responsibilities. There aren’t so many new faces, but everyone is in a different position. It’s important to adapt quickly. »