Williams retain Massa & Bottas for 2015


By Williams Martini Racing
September 7 2014

The Williams Martini team made the announcement today that they would be retaining their current driver line-up for the 2015 season. Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas will continue with the team in what is considered to be one of the strongest driver pairings in Formula One.

 
 Williams retain Massa & Bottas for 2015
 

The Williams Martini team made the announcement today that they would be retaining their current driver line-up for the 2015 season.

Below is the teams official statemnent:

WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING is pleased to announce that it will be retaining the services of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas as the teams’ Race Drivers for the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship season.

Felipe joined WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING for the start of the 2014 season and secured the team’s first pole position since 2012 at the Austrian Grand Prix. A proven race winner with 11 wins and 36 podiums to his name, Felipe competed in his 200th Grand Prix at Silverstone in July and next year will be his 14th season in Formula One. Valtteri Bottas joined Williams in 2010 as a Test Driver and graduated to a race seat in 2013. He has secured four podium finishes so far this season and has matured into one of the sport’s most promising young talents, currently sitting fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.

Both drivers have proved crucial in the strong development of the Williams Mercedes FW36 and the team is confident that in Felipe and Valtteri it has one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid. Williams will be announcing its test and development driver roles for 2015 in due course.

Speaking about the announcement Felipe Massa said; “I’m really enjoying my time at WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING and I feel settled here. Williams is such an iconic name in motor racing and I have a lot of pride when racing for this team. This season we have started to show our true potential and I’m driving a car that is looking strong and has improved a lot as the season has progressed which is very encouraging for the future. It’s important that we continue to push in the second half of the season and that we start 2015 with some really good momentum that we can build on.”

Valtteri Bottas added; “I’ve been a member of the Williams team for five years now and we have developed together throughout that time which is a great feeling. The team has also made some very impressive gains this season and I’m confident that I’m at a team that is moving in the right direction and can continue to be competitive. Sir Frank and Claire have put a lot of faith in me and I’m very grateful that they continue to do so. Felipe and I have a good working relationship and this early announcement will help us both input into the ongoing development of the FW36 and the FW37.”

Commenting on the team’s 2015 driver pairing Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal, said; “I’m delighted to confirm that Felipe and Valtteri will be racing for Williams once again in 2015. Felipe is a pleasure to work with and combines raw pace with a wealth of experience. We have known for many years that Valtteri is a very special talent and in the FW36 we have given him a car that is allowing him to demonstrate his skills. The team is having a much improved 2014 season and the skill of our drivers and their feedback to our engineers has proved crucial in this. This announcement gives us excellent stability for 2015, but of course we are very much focusing our attention on maximising the full potential of the FW36 in the remaining seven races of this season.”

 

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Williams retain Massa & Bottas for 2015
Discussion started by Williams F1 , 07/09/2014 10:43
Williams F1
07/09/2014 10:43
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andy si
07/09/2014 11:02
Stability... perfect!

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roadie
07/09/2014 11:05
I am happy BOT is being retained. However, this must be the last chance for MAS to show that he is still the driver he was in the mid 2000s.

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Ozzy Osbone
07/09/2014 23:49
Yeah. OK. No doubts about BOT but Felipe must be on his last chance in F1. Come on Felipe. Let's hope he can pull one out of the hat and give us the seas of his life.

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solus
08/09/2014 03:17
Stupid decision to retain the useless Massa, he is on podium because he race with no one,but he act like he like a hero. Bottas is the real hero,from 11th to 4th.

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j-s
08/09/2014 05:14
It's a good move that gives the team continuity. Today our weakest driver got a podium, and our strongest driver lost 8 places in one lap and still managed to come in 4th. The fact that they're both staying is nothing but good news. Not the strongest pairing in F1, obviously, but not shabby either.

At least the spectre of Nasr has been laid to rest... no pay drivers at Williams. That's something worth celebrating.

Reply Quote Report
Ozzy Osbone
08/09/2014 08:38
Quote:
j-s

At least the spectre of Nasr has been laid to rest... no pay drivers at Williams. That's something worth celebrating.

Good point. Nasr is hopeless.

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A.Fant
08/09/2014 11:17
Quote:
Ozzy Osbone
Quote:
j-s

At least the spectre of Nasr has been laid to rest... no pay drivers at Williams. That's something worth celebrating.

Good point. Nasr is hopeless.

Meh. Nasr clearly beat Palmer last year as teammates, Palmer is just winning by virtue of the #1 DAMS car.

Considering that Massa is 0.2-0.3s slower than Bottas in quali and the race while being a lot worse wheel to wheel racer, I'm not sure Massa is better than Nasr+20M. Nasr in a car with a better budget may be capable of scoring as many points as Massa in the slower car, and then you add on the extra points for Bottas with the faster car.

Nasr isn't a pay driver, he is a talented driver with sponsorship - like Pérez, Gutiérrez, Sutil, or Maldonado. Even guys like Chilton and Ericsson aren't pay drivers by the classical meaning of the word.

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Ozzy Osbone
08/09/2014 11:49
Nasr is beating Palmer's team mate though so how can it be the car? He's just not good enough. Too slow.

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A.Fant
08/09/2014 12:10
Quote:
Ozzy Osbone
Nasr is beating Palmer's team mate though so how can it be the car? He's just not good enough. Too slow.

DAMS is widely considered a 1-car team, their 2nd driver is usually nowhere.

[en.wikipedia.org]

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j-s
08/09/2014 19:42
If Williams wants to improve in 2015 then Nasr would NOT have been the answer. The only realistic and sensible alternative was Massa, virtues and flaws included. Massa doesn't command a stratospheric salary and for the most part he's a decent racer with plenty of experience that helps the team off-track.

Who knows, maybe his salary has been lowered. Could be. Massa is not at a stage where he can negotiate a raise, that's for sure! Bottas, on the other hand...

Anyways. If Williams wanted to curb their $$ losses and maintain a healthy-ish bottom line then yeah, maybe Nasr might've been the answer. But he's out of the equation for now, and that's a clear indication of what Williams is trying to accomplish.

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Gunk
08/09/2014 21:13
Nasr had a poor weekend after some good results. He still got points in both races and should finish second in the championship, mostly through consistency.

However, I am pleased we didn't take him on . . . I don't think training up rookies for other teams is any longer our business.

The amount of money he brings is possibly overstated . . . Felipe is the focus of Brazilian attention and rather popular . . . how many people know what Nasr even looks like? So, I think Massa brings money indirectly.

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Ozzy Osbone
08/09/2014 23:26
It's an interesting conversation but at they end of the day we are Williams f1 and Nasr is ;}%~<##< useless. So we shouldn't put him in the car.

Reply Quote Report
solus
09/09/2014 10:20
Quote:
j-s
It's a good move that gives the team continuity. Today our weakest driver got a podium, and our strongest driver lost 8 places in one lap and still managed to come in 4th.

its still a sutpid move. Our strongest driver is very intelligent to avoide contact and very calm because he know he will overtake 7 driver in front of him. but our weakest driver always need a clear track to score points. i wish more screw fly to his head.

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backsoon
09/09/2014 11:37
Quote:
solus
Quote:
j-s
It's a good move that gives the team continuity. Today our weakest driver got a podium, and our strongest driver lost 8 places in one lap and still managed to come in 4th.

its still a sutpid move. Our strongest driver is very intelligent to avoide contact and very calm because he know he will overtake 7 driver in front of him. but our weakest driver always need a clear track to score points. i wish more screw fly to his head.

ai am not tuu certain dat ai agrii wiz iu

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Ozzy Osbone
09/09/2014 14:54
Bottas is BULLSHIT and we all know it. I would get rid of the guy and get Pierre Luigi Martini out of retirement. He would match the sponsor and everything. It would be the best thing we ever did.

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crusty_bread
09/09/2014 16:16
I'm not sure what Williams get for £4m and £0m in sponsorship which someone like Hulkenberg couldn't emulate. Even Vergne shows a little more flair across a season, but there we go. Williams could do worse I suppose on that side- like...well, someone..Chilton?, and who known how Bottas would possibly cope without all of Massa's experience? Happy to retain Bottas- that brought a smile.

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AlanJones
09/09/2014 16:21
First time since Monty and Schumi Jr. that we are able to retain two drivers for consecutive years?


https://i.ibb.co/BsYLL8h/1992-Formula1-Williams-FW14-B-001-1440-01.jpg

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Ozzy Osbone
09/09/2014 16:38
Chilton did OK in GP2 so it's a shock that he is so hopeless in F1. Still, the rumours are that the family will buy the team so I guess he has plenty of time to perfect his skills.

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j-s
09/09/2014 16:46
AJ: Nakajima Rosberg was the last time, no?

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crusty_bread
09/09/2014 21:38
Either Chilton is hopeless or Bianchi needs a promotion, at least to Sauber who use Ferrari engines. I appreciate that may look like a demotion but only because Jules has done a better job than that pair. Three years in a row blasting Chiltons doors off is a tough gig and I'd like to see how he fares against someone else like Gutierrez or Sutil.

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rpaloschi
09/09/2014 23:01
Quote:
j-s
AJ: Nakajima Rosberg was the last time, no?

Given you consider Nakajima to be a driver, yes smiling smiley

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Ozzy Osbone
09/09/2014 23:30
Quote:
crusty_bread
Either Chilton is hopeless or Bianchi needs a promotion, at least to Sauber who use Ferrari engines. I appreciate that may look like a demotion but only because Jules has done a better job than that pair. Three years in a row blasting Chiltons doors off is a tough gig and I'd like to see how he fares against someone else like Gutierrez or Sutil.

I think he is long overdue a seat in a proper team. Should alonso jump or Kimi retire, he should be put in that other red car. Very impressive driver. Or we could hire him for 2016. That would do for me.

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j-s
10/09/2014 01:36
Is beating Chilton really THAT difficult?

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crusty_bread
10/09/2014 07:47
Its beating Lotusses and Saubers, or giving them a run for their money on occasion that gets my attention. We will never know about the Bianchi good or Chilton bad riddle until another driver is introduced into the equation, which is why I want to see a promotion. Putting it all on Chilton is like saying Massa is slow and Bottas is being flattered enormously, and is no faster than Maldonado was last year as there was nothing in it in qualifying and Maldonado beat him regularly in races, making Bottas by comparison, a bit slower on average than Grosjean. Being a fraction faster than Massa who was miles off Alonso, if you were playing devils advocate, is nothing special.

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backsoon
10/09/2014 08:03
Quote:
crusty_bread
Its beating Lotusses and Saubers, or giving them a run for their money on occasion that gets my attention. We will never know about the Bianchi good or Chilton bad riddle until another driver is introduced into the equation, which is why I want to see a promotion. Putting it all on Chilton is like saying Massa is slow and Bottas is being flattered enormously, and is no faster than Maldonado was last year as there was nothing in it in qualifying and Maldonado beat him regularly in races, making Bottas by comparison, a bit slower on average than Grosjean. Being a fraction faster than Massa who was miles off Alonso, if you were playing devils advocate, is nothing special.

IMHO Massa is fast on a driveable car, so is Kimi and a few others.
Noone can however resist the comparison to Alo on an undriveable car.
Whoever you put next to Alo on an undriveable car will look an assle. Maybe Ham is an exception, maybe Ric and Bot as well but not at the same level.
So, I would not extrapolate such gaps as to me are slightly different worlds.

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crusty_bread
10/09/2014 17:15
Yes you can tie yourself up in knots trying to compare driver with driver, season to season. How a driver and car interacts and how a driver evolves is ever changing. I think Alonso is beyond having to race a truly evil handling car. I think he would be so vocal internally, so specific in changing it and so expert in setting it up that it would always behave reasonably after he had got his hands on it. The transformation at McLaren was a case in point. If it was a case of jump in the car and react, I think Lewis would win every time with anything thrown at him. Traditionally, lewis prefers a car with a loose back end that he can slightly oversteer / slide into a corner with, suggesting a very high tolerance to movement beneath him that he can manipulate. As soon as the car understeers, he can't find his edge but he's still right up there. Its either a compliment or a criticism that he seems more used to reacting to cars. Even in 2009 he managed to make that Macca sing, that is, when he wasn't singing songs to stewards. Kovy was utterly destroyed that season and he was not a bad peddler during other years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:09:10:17:22:12 by crusty_bread.

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Ozzy Osbone
10/09/2014 19:55
I don't think Chilton s a bad driver either. He was pretty good in GP2 and had a few poles and wins as I recall. At least as good as Nasr anyway which is not saying much I admit. I don't know what's happened to him in F1. But Bianchi looks very good by comparison. As Crusty says, it's not just the inter team thing, it's getting up amongst cars he has no business racing with.

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j-s
11/09/2014 03:24
Agree about Bianchi, although in all honesty I don't keep track of what he's doing every race (except in Monaco, where I couldn't help but notice).

on the other hand, I usually keep an eye on Chilton and, for the most part, come away feeling that he's rather useless. Consistent, safe, mature perhaps.. but for all his consistency he rarely every excels at anything other than being metronomically consistent... mostly... ahem, Canada was comically bad and jumping off the curb in monza was Pastor-esque.

Maybe Chilton is a Bruno Senna type of driver. solidly below average for F1 but with a good head and prudent style that may come in handy every once in a while.

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crusty_bread
11/09/2014 08:04
How many times in the 5 years Caterham/Lotus, Maruasia/Virgin, Hispania, have we seen drivers promoted out of this category? It seems to be a bit of a trap. Ricciardo raced for Hispania, but he already had a contract with Toro Rosso I think and he was filling time, so Hispania was not the place where he got noticed, nor the basis for his signing. I suppose you could say senna, but he bought his way up and had hardly distinguished himself at Hispania and that trend continued. Glock, Di Grassi, Pic, Van Der Garde and Bianchi have all conducted themselves well, Bianchi extremely well, but nothing seems to happen to promote them.

Bianchis best card outside Ferrari are Ferrari powered cars which leaves... Sauber and Marussia. I just wish Ferrari would shell out and put him at Sauber.

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