ams Can Williams call up the previous year's form?
08.10.2015
V altteri Bottas was the only driver to annoy the Mercedes last year . In qualifying for the GP Russia 2014, the Finn was on pole course. After two fastest sectors, however, he overdid it a little and came off the slope in the last corner. The result: third place. Like one day later in the race.
'Mercedes will have reasons for older specifications'
In view of the strong performance from last season, Bottas is optimistic about the 15th GP weekend of the Year. The 5.848 kilometer track with its two long full-throttle sections and an average lap of over 200 km /h should suit the Williams FW37 like its predecessor.
'I think we can challenge Ferrari here. So we should be in be able to drive for the podium, 'hopes Bottas. And can he annoy the Silver Arrows a bit like last year? 'At Mercedes there is a small element of uncertainty,' says the Finn, addressing the problems of the world championship team in Singapore with the track and the soft tire compounds used in Russia. 'However, we expect them strongly. Our calculations say that we should be closer than in Japan.'
For his attack on a podium place, Bottas and teammate Felipe Massa get a fresh Mercedes V6 turbo planted in the rear. However, not the specification from Monza, where the factory team improved the engine using seven development tokens. The 'miracle engine' is reserved for the works team. 'Surely there is a certain thought behind it that they will not give us the last version. After all, they want us to be able to challenge Ferrari,' says Bottas, who says he is not annoyed about receiving the last 2015 Mercedes-Spec.
In the last race, the fourth place in the 2014 World Championship fell from third on the grid to fifth. 'We don't have a profound explanation for our racing speed in Suzuka. Mercedes and Ferrari simply had better cars,' Bottas hacked at the Japanese GP. 'We could only have beaten Kimi if we had got in earlier at the second stop.'
