Williams Racing will be hoping to bounce back after a terrible showing in Canada, which saw the team score just six points on what was supposed to be one of the strongest circuits for their car. The Red Bull Ring in Austria is a circuit with just eight corners, and lots of medium or long straights, which should also suit their car. Tyre wear should be relatively low, but as F1 hasn’t been there since 2003, it’s somewhat difficult to tell exactly who to look out for in terms of one-lap pace and race pace.
Williams Austrian GP Preview
No. 19 Felipe Massa (BRA) – 11th
Form: 7/15/13/7/12
2002 (Driving for Sauber): Q: P7, R: Retired (Suspension)
Massa is one of just four drivers on the grid with previous F1 race experience in Austria, having raced here in 2002. Given how different F1 is now, with slick tyres, V6 turbos and completely different aerodynamic packages, I’m unsure how useful this experience will be. However, Massa will be hoping to not have a repeat of the events of Montreal, where he was taken out by Sergio Perez on the last lap, costing valuable points for both drivers who are quite a way behind their team mates in the standings. Massa clearly had the pace in Montreal to challenge for the win, so will be hoping that pace helps him here too.
No. 77 Valtteri Bottas (FIN) – 8th
Form: 8/7/5/R/7
Bottas recovered from his retirement in Monaco to take a solid seventh after some overheating issues in Canada. He is yet to race in Austria, but I am sure he has done plenty of time in the simulator learning the circuit. The Finn has been impressive so far this year, and currently splits the two McLarens in the championship. The qualifying battle is also very interesting, with Bottas having half a tenth advantage on average over Massa, and Bottas leading 4-3.
Too many mistakes have been made by both the team and by the drivers so far this season to claim that is has been a good season so far by Williams. It’s certainly a major step up from last season in terms of actual performance. With arguably the fourth best car, they shouldn’t be lying in sixth place in the standings. With all the reshuffling that has gone on, this is still arguably a transition year, but having the results is very important. A podium would prove that it is all working, but we are yet to see that, while all their rivals have achieved at least one.
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