Massa, frustrated by misfortune
Equipped with the Mercedes engine, the Williams team is having a strong start to the season by scoring points in the first four Grand Prix. While consistency is not lacking for Valtteri Bottas, his teammate Felipe Massa has been less fortunate, scoring points on only two occasions. A frustrating situation for the former Ferrari driver.
Abandon in Australia in the first round for the first Grand Prix of the season, 7th in Malaysia and Bahrain, then out of the points last weekend in China following an interminable pit stop, this is the mixed record of the start of the season for Felipe Massa with Williams.
While his teammate Valtteri Bottas has finished in the top 10 in every race, Felipe Massa has been plagued by a series of unfortunate events that have prevented him from doing well in two of the four Grand Prix already past. This situation obviously frustrates the Brazilian, who knows he has a car capable of taking him to the top of the standings: « I am frustrated by what happened to me in China, and I am frustrated by what has happened in several races. In the first Grand Prix, someone took me out of the race and I lost a lot of points, then in Bahrain, I was fighting for third or fourth place and the safety car came out, and I finished seventh, losing more points. This race [in China] was another problem, and I lost points again. I started with a good pace, but I didn’t have any luck. »
In the battle between manufacturers such as Williams and Force India, these setbacks do not favor the British team and could prove costly at the end of the season, as Massa points out: “In China, we had the car to finish ahead of the Force India. They are third in the championship, so they are the team we need to overtake and gain points on. We could also catch up with McLaren for the fifth place. We will work on this and try to be more consistent to score more significant points.”
For the ex-Ferrari driver, the problem that occurred in the pits during his first stop at the Chinese Grand Prix is still attributable to the transition period the Williams team is going through. But with Rob Smedley in the ranks, Massa is convinced that the situation will improve: “We need to be organized and have procedures. It’s a point we are working very hard on, and I have been trying to help in this regard since my first day here. Rob [Smedley] has taken some important notes, and I am sure we will improve quickly in this area.”
Currently, Felipe Massa is in 11th place in the championship with 12 points, which is half as many as his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who is in 6th place tied with Daniel Ricciardo. Williams, on the other hand, is in 6th position in the constructors’ championship; it is the lowest-ranked of the Mercedes-powered teams.
