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Malaysian GP: Top 10 qualifying for Williams Martini


By Andrew Hooper
March 28 2015

In what would turn out to be a difficult final period of qualifying, due to heavy rain affecting the track, the Williams Martini team would see its drivers finish in the top ten. Felipe Massa would finish in 7th and Valtteri Bottas 9th. The team was somwewhat disappointed with their wet weather performance but Sunday's race was expected to be dry. Valtteri will start the race from eighth with other drivers receiving penalties.

 
  Williams Martini Malaysian GP Qualifying
 
Massa
 

Team Summary:
The session would start with the temperature falling and dark skies with the chances of showers falling on the track, possibly during the session. The first period would see both Williams drivers through but Valtteri was well ahead of Felipe with the Finn in fifth and his team-mate eleventh. The second period would see both Williams drivers make it into the top ten with Valtteri third and Felipe sixth. Both drivers were able to set a time prior to heavy showers falling on the track.

The final period was delayed by thirty minutes and with the start the Williams team would send both their drivers out on the full wet tyre. This would turn out to be the wrong choice as they would have to pit to take on the intermediate tyre. But they would pit again taking on another set of intermediate tyres. Felipe and Valtteri would finish in seventh and ninth in what was somewhat of a confusing final period for the Williams team seeing their drivers only set a time in the closing moments of the period.

Felipe Massa:
Q1: Felipe would be first out for Williams running on the hard tyre with three minutes of the session completed. There was a mixture of hard and medium tyres as Hamilton and Rosberg went fastest, both on the medium tyre. Hamilton set a 1m:39.269 while Felipe was on his timed lap, but it was a slow 1m:55.739. Felipe would complete a second lap but it was only a1m:40.905 to be only seventh. Felipe had also come back in and he would drop to ninth now behind the Torro Rosso pair. But these cars had set their times on the medium tyre.

Felipe would come back out now on the medium tyre as the period came to a close. Felipe was only going to get one flying lap as drivers started to return rain. Felipe would complete his lap setting a 1m:40.543 to be only eleventh.

Q2: Felipe was out on a new set of medium tyres as Rosberg was told that his first timed lap would be it with rain likely. Felipe was told that he must complete this lap with spots of rain falling. A 1m:39.632 from Vettel followed by a 1m:39.377 from Rosberg. Felipe was down in sixth, 1m:41.230, after his first lap. Felipe would say that it was raining massively, half way through the second period.

Q3: Felipe would come out running on the wet tyre. Vettel was on the intermediate tyre with the first quickest time set by Hamilton with a 1m:49.834, with Felipe also pitting taking on the intermediate tyre. Felipe had yet to set a time. Felipe would come back out behind Valtteri. Felipe would also pit again taking on intermediate tyres. Felipe would set a 1m:52.473 to be sixth but he would drop to seventh as Verstappen went sixth.

Valtteri Bottas:
Q1:
Valtteri would follow Felipe out also on the hard tyre. Valtteri would set a 1m:40.249 to be third quickest behind Rosberg. Valtteri would drop to fourth now behind Vettel. Vettel was on the hard tyre setting a 1m:39.814. Valtteri was 0.980 behind the quickest time. Valtteri would pit with just over seven minutes remaining. Valtteri would drop to fifth as Sainz moved ahead of him running on the medium tyre. Valtteri was still in his pit as the period ended and would finish in fifth behind Ericsson.

Q2: Valtteri first out for Williams running on a new medium tyre. Valtteri's first lap was a 1m:40.650 to be third. Valtteri would set a personal best on his second lap but the rain was falling heavily now and he would pit ending his time out on the track due to the heavy rain.

Q3: Valtteri was also out on the wet tyre but was it the right choice. Valtteri would finally pit swapping to the intermediate. Valtteri had yet to set a time but would come back out but would not set a time prior to pitting again taking on another set of intermediate tyres. The period would come to an end with Valtteri setting a 1m:53.179 to be way down in ninth.

 
Bottas
 

Valtteri Bottas:
Q1: Valtteri was out with fourteen minutes remaining in the eighteen minute period, also running on the medium tyre. On the soft tyre Raikkonen would set a 1m:30.188 as Valtteri started his flying lap. He would complete his lap and would finish with a 1m:30.305 to be third, ahead of Rosberg. Valtteri sets a 1m:29.641 to now be second. Valtteri would drop to third as Vettel set a 1m:29.307 to be second.

Quickest was now Rosberg with a 1m:28.906. But Hamilton would go fastest with a 1m:28.586. Valtteri was now fourth and back in his pit. Valtteri was one of the four cars that had set their quickest times on the medium tyre, along with team-mate Felipe. Valtteri was still in his pit but having dropped to seventh which would become eighth as the period ended, but Valtteri had saved a set of soft tyres.

Q2: Valtteri first out for Williams running on the soft tyre for the first time. Valtteri would go fastest in sector tow and would complete his lap setting a 1m:28.012 to be quickest. Hamilton would set a 1m:26.894 to move ahead of Valtteri. Valtteri would drop to third as we now had Hamilton and Rosberg at the front. Valtteri would pit having dropped to fifth. Valtteri was now 0.770 ahead of Felipe. Valtteri would come back out with new soft tyres fitted. Valtteri was on a better lap as the period came to an end. Valtteri was now sixth but he would move up to fourth, 1m:27.796.

Q3: Valtteri would be first out running on new soft tyres. Valtteri's first lap was messy locking brakes after having gone quickest in sector one. Valtteri would come on the radio complaining about the bite of the brakes. Valtteri had yet to set a time with Valtteri returning to the pits after his troubled first run. Valtteri would be first back out for Williams for his second run. Valtteri was now fourth after a big moment coming onto the main straight. Valtteri would finish in sixth and on his walk back to be weighed looked less than happy.

 
Bottas
 

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