Austrian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Quotes from Williams: 

Felipe Massa - “There are very few guys who have driven the circuit which is a little advantage but the track and limit may have changed and the cars have changed so it won't be the same as 11 years ago. It's not a difficult track to learn and we have the best drivers in the world in Formula One so they will be able to get up to speed very quickly. We can be competitive here but at the moment it's hard to tell where we will be compared to our competition.”

Valtteri Bottas - “I've spent a lot of time in the simulator to prepare of Austria as I haven't driven the circuit before. I have also spoken with Felipe as he is one of the four drivers who have raced this track in Formula One. Learning a new track has never been a problem for me and I have the practice sessions to get to grips with things. I have heard only good things about the track and the fans, so I am really looking forward to getting there. It's a little unknown how competitive we will be as there will be some upgrades, but we will as always give it our best.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers.

Canadian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

New quotes from the Williams F1 Team.

Felipe Massa - "We aim to be more competitive in Canada and hopefully we can have a good performance. The top speed of the car is good and this will be our main strength. Montreal has hosted some great races in the past and this has a lot to do with the weather, so we need to be prepared as it can rain and often without warning. The city is a very relaxed place to be so it's nice to go back there every year."

Valtteri Bottas - "I have some great memories from Canada last year as I qualified my career best position of third. The track is such a contrast from the last race in Monaco, and I think it plays to the strengths of the car, such as good straight line speed. We are aiming to continue our record of points in every race so far this season. It's a special track not only in the fact that it's technically a street circuit, but that there are a lot of big braking zones and few fast corners."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended

Quotes made by Drivers. 

Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

More quotes and these ones are from Williams!

Felipe Massa - “I love Monaco. I live there so it's great to be able to go home and see the family and sleep in my own bed after each day in the car. I am luckier than most as this happens at two races for me (Monaco and Brazil). The track is amazing and steeped in history. We will need good stability for the circuit as it's so tight and traction is more important than top speed. The slow corners are very slow, but the track demands a lot of focus. The barriers are close, and it takes time getting use to driving right up against them, sometimes you can even touch them and still do a good lap. Monaco is a special place, there are no tracks like it on the calendar and that makes us enjoy it even more.”

Valtteri Bottas - 

“Qualifying in Monaco is the most important of the season as the design of the circuit makes it very hard to overtake in the race. Strategy is also important in the race as you want to make sure that no time or positions are lost during the pit stop, it will be hard to make those positions up. There is no room for mistakes in Monaco as the barriers will punish you. I am really confident driving there now that I have experience and so am looking forward to the race. It's also the closest thing I will have to a home Grand Prix as I live in Monaco, it will be nice to go from home in the morning.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers.

Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Next quotes are from the Williams F1 Team!

Felipe Massa - "I have won in Barcelona before which is important as it means I can enjoy the race a little more. I know what it takes to win at the circuit so I can have a little confidence when driving there. Downforce is really important in Spain so we have to make sure the aerodynamic set-up is correct. We have been working on developing the car in this area. Barcelona is historically a place where teams bring upgrades, but as every team does this it's a case of whose upgrades make the most difference. I am really looking forward to racing again in Europe."

Valtteri Bottas - 

"As a team we are looking forward to Spain, once we are in Europe it's easier to bring upgrades out over a race weekend. The time gap between China and Spain has been really important as we have had time to improve the car, although how much we have moved forward is hard to say until we drive it. We haven't driven in Spain with the current car, which is unusual as in previous years we completed a lot of laps in testing, so we all know the layout well, but will need to work on the set-up."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No copyright infringement intended.

Quotes made by Drivers.

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

More quotes, and these ones are from the Williams F1 Team!

Felipe Massa - "There is a very long straight in China which will be good for overtaking, especially for our car as we have a good top speed. There are also low speed corners where good downforce is needed, so we hope we can make improvements on these sections. We hope to have a few new parts which should help with grip and other areas that we need to improve. We still need to improve the car in the wet, so we are hoping the weekend will be dry, I also prefer the dry, but there is hard work going on to improve the car."
 
Valtteri Bottas - "So far the season has been positive and we are looking forward to China. We still need to make a step forward in performance, especially as this track is quite different to Bahrain. The long straight will be our strong point as we can overtake, but we need to be good through the corners to be close enough to take advantage. We are hoping to improve our downforce for the slower sections of the track. Once we improve this, it should improve our overall running in all conditions so it is an area we are focusing on. The weather can be variable in China but at this point we are looking for a dry race."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended. 
Quotes made by Drivers. 

Bahrain GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Next quotes come from the Williams F1 Team!

Felipe Massa - "Bahrain will be different from last season, normally it’s a very hot race but it’s not humid like Malaysia, it’s really dry which helps from a driver’s physical point of view. It will be a change this year as it’s a night race so we expect the temperatures to be cooler. We’ve been testing there in the winter so all the teams will have an idea about what set-up to use; we know what we have to focus on and where we can improve as well. Bahrain is a really nice place; I’ve won there twice in the past so I’m looking forward to getting back there."

Valtteri Bottas - "We have had a lot of testing in Bahrain so we have more of an idea about our set-up which makes things easier. Obviously the weather will be different as it will be night, but I think it’s going to be a great sight to see the cars under the lights, so I’m looking forward to that. We didn’t look too bad in testing in Bahrain, so we are looking to the race as a potential for some good points."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.
Quotes made by Drivers. 

Malaysian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Here are the quotes from the Williams F1 Team.

Felipe Massa - “Malaysia is a nice place to race, it’s a hot and humid race which makes it a physically tough one for the drivers. The heat also has a big effect on the tyres and how quickly degradation happens. These extreme temperatures means Malaysia is less like any other circuit we will race at. When you go to Malaysia you can never count out the weather either, there is always the chance of rain, its heavy rain too, and this can happen at the end of nearly every day. All of these factors mean the race is always exciting from a fans point of view but these changes are tough for the drivers. I’m looking forward to having a good race there.”

Valtteri Bottas - “Malaysia will be a real challenge for us, but also something the other teams will have to deal with too. Cooling will be a major factor as the temperatures are so high, there is also still a lot to learn about the new power units, so this heat adds to this learning curve. It could be the hottest race this season and having it at the start of the season when people are trying to develop what they have isn’t the easiest of tasks. Physically for the drivers it isn’t easy; we have to work hard in the off-season so we are ready for times like this. The track itself is very nice; it has some great high speed sections which are my favourite parts of the circuit.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.
Quotes made by Drivers. 

Australian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

Next quotes from the Williams team, who have brought in former Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa and paired him up with Valtteri Bottas who is now in his Sophmore year of F1.

Felipe Massa - “I love Melbourne, it's a fantastic place and a really good atmosphere. The people there really love racing and Formula 1 and so are always really welcoming towards us. I like the track and it's quite a challenging circuit. I am really looking forward to racing there this year and having a good start to the season with Williams Martini Racing.”

Valtteri Bottas - “I am really looking forward to going to Melbourne. It's a very nice track with a great atmosphere. It's a new season and a new challenge, not just for me but for everyone. We will finally get to see where every team's performance is. The track improves a lot throughout the weekend because it's not a permanent race track which means that we have more grip each time we go out and so you have to make the right set-up changes for each session. I really enjoy the track and I can't wait to get racing again.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.
Quotes made by drivers. 



 

Felipe Massa joins Williams for 2014.

It was announced earlier by Williams, and Felipe himself that he had gotten a seat on the Williams Team for 2014.

Earlier this year, Massa announced he was parting way with Ferrari and a lot of people were wondering where the Brazilian driver was going to go and if he would even stick with Formula1 come next year.

Felipe will be partnering Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, which now leaves Pastor Maldonado without a race seat. Lotus has confirmed interest in Maldonado, but Hulkenberg still remains favourite for the Lotus seat.

More information to come soon.

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

No Copyright Infringement Intended.