Williams had probably their dullest race of the season at Suzuka en route to a decent haul of points. With their drivers confirmed already for 2015, they can head into this weekend with no distractions as such, with rivals Ferrari having Sebastian Vettel’s appointment being all but confirmed as well as their young driver Jules Bianchi in a critical condition following the Japanese Grand Prix. Williams haven’t been on the podium since Monza, whilst Red Bull have picked up three pieces of silverware. It would be great for the team to see either Valtteri Bottas or Felipe Massa on the rostrum again before the end of the year.
On paper, this track shouldn’t be too great for Williams, but they have shown speed on street circuits on more than one occasion already this season, with Bottas’ and Massa’s excellent recovery drives at Australia and Monaco respectively being notable highlights. They’ve picked up podiums on the Tilke-designed Red Bull Ring and Hockenheimring already this year, but the Sochi Street Circuit looks as if it requires a bit more downforce than the tracks where podiums have been won this year; saying that, a rostrum here should not be ruled out.
Williams Russian GP Preview
No. 19 Felipe Massa (BRA) – 9th
Form: 5/13/3/5/7
Massa has gradually been creeping up the table after a poor start to the season. Given his form and the outright speed of the Williams, there is no reason why he should not be seventh at the end of the season. His race performances have been much better as of late, and he has been very solid in delivering some excellent points for Williams in the battle with Ferrari for third in the championship. There is no reference point for how he may do at Russia as nobody here has raced on the circuit yet, so it may be an interesting weekend for Massa.
No. 77 Valtteri Bottas (FIN) – 6th
Form: 8/3/4/11/6
It’s been pretty mixed for Bottas in recent races. From that excellent podium at Spa to that dismal performance at Singapore with some really solid points in the middle, the young Finn will be looking to get back to his consistent Massa-thrashing performances which he was delivering in the early and middle parts of the season. After this race, he will return to the scene of his brilliant first Formula One points at Austin.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @Craig_O_F1. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld– and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our motorsports writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at sports injury alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!
Main image:
