After a disastrous 2013 season only scoring five championship points. Williams went into the 2014 season hoping for better. 2014 welcomed major changes to the technical regulations which would inevitably change the grid’s running order. For 2014, Williams switched to the Mercedes power unit after being supplied by Renault for the previous two season.
Williams retained Valtteri Bottas for 2014 after impressing in his rookie season. Most notably, qualifying third at the 2013 Canadian Grand Prix. Pastor Maldonado left the team for Lotus allowing 11-time race winner Felipe Massa join Williams for 2014. After eight seasons with Ferrari, Massa was replaced by Kimi Raikkonen.
From the first test in Jerez, it was apparent Williams had made significant steps over the winter and looked to be the nearest challenger to the Mercedes who were clerly the quickest team. Despite having a quick car, the team failed to capitalise on their performance advantage. A wet qualifying in Australia highlighted the flaws of the FW36 as Massa qualified in ninth and Bottas in tenth. The race however would be more successful for one side of the garage, Bottas came home fifth after clipping the wall and causing a puncture on the right rear tyre on lap eleven. On the other hand, Massa was taken out by Kamui Kobyashi on the opening lap.
Both cars failed to make it into the final part of qualifying in Malaysia. Williams came under scrutiny at this race as they asked Felipe Massa to move over for Bottas who had been marginally quicker as the Brazilian was unable to pass Button in sixth. Massa ignored the team order and came home seventh ahead of Bottas. The team ultimately had a disappointing weekend despite having a quick car in dry conditions.
In Bahrain, Massa was running third for majority of the race fighting off the Force India’s of Perez and Hulkenburg however a late safety-car and excessive tyre wear meant the Brazilian lost several positions and finished seventh with Bottas having similar issues to come home eighth. Williams had a strong qualifying in Shanghai despite it being wet as Massa qualified sixth. A slow-stop for Massa in the race and slow race pace from Bottas meant the team failed to pick up any major points.
There was no reason to celebrate at Spain and Monaco as the team only scored sixteen points in these two races. In Canada, Williams were back on form as they qualified fourth and fifth behind the two Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel. Massa had an opportunity to win the race however was stuck behind teammate Bottas for several laps. Massa caught up to the back of Vettel but struggled to pass eventually costing the Brazilian a chance of winning. On the final lap, in an overtaking attempt Massa’s front right tyre collided with the back of Perez’s car, causing them both to crash into the barriers at high speed. The stewards deemed it to be Perez’s fault and consequently the Mexican received a five-place grid penalty for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Williams’ best race came at the Austrian Grand Prix where they locked-out the front row in qualifying and finished third and fourth in the race. This followed two more podiums at Silverstone and Hockenheim courtesy of Bottas who continued to impress in his second season in Formula One. On the other hand, Massa had the speed, but was continually involved in incidents with other drivers. At Silverstone, Raikkonen re-joined the track in an unsafe manner collecting Massa in the process and at Germany, Massa turned in on Magnussen on the opening lap forcing the Brazilian to retire.
With tracks such as Spa and Monza coming up – which should suit the Williams, they need to start scoring regular points with both cars if they want to beat Ferrari to third in the Constructor’s Championship.
Felipe Massa 40 points/ 9th in Driver’s Championship
After being released by Ferrari, many expected Massa to shine after no longer being a number two driver. Despite having fifty-five points less than his less experienced teammate. Massa has been very unlucky with first-lap collisions and team errors. The 32-year old was taken out by Kamui Kobayashi in Melbourne, a slow pit stop in Shanghai meant Massa finished outside the points. In addition, a collision with Perez in Canada cost Massa a fourth placed finish whilst collisions with Raikkonen at Silverstone and Magnussen at Hockenheim cost the team further points.
Valtteri Bottas 95 points / 5th in the Driver’s Championship
A future world champion according to many. The 24-year old Finn has impressed throughout this season. Not only he has the raw pace, he has the ability to overtake and defend under pressure which has been demonstrated on numerous occasions this season. The Williams is arguably the third fastest car in Formula One behind the Mercedes and Red Bull (in terms of aerodynamics and downforce) and Bottas is making the most of these opportunities. He finished on the podium in three consecutive races (Austria, Britain and Germany) and has fifty-five points more than his teammate. If he continues to impress in the second half of the season, other teams such as McLaren may want to sign him up for 2015.
Race Finishing Positions:
Massa is the top row with Bottas being the bottom row.
| AUS | MAL | BAH | CHI | SPA | MON | CAN | AUS | BRI | GER | HUN |
| DNF | 7 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 4 | DNF | DNF | 5 |
| 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 5 | DNF | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Performance Comparison:
| Felipe Massa | Valtteri Bottas | |
| Qualified ahead | 4 | 7 |
| Average qualifying gap | +0.168s | -0.168s |
| Finished race ahead | 3 | 4 |
| Laps spent ahead | 202 | 294 |
Looking ahead to the remainder of the 2014 season, Williams are in good stead to finish in the top four of the Constructor’s Championship. With tracks such as Spa and Monza coming up, it is likely they will be challenging for podiums once again. Williams will be hoping Bottas continues to shine whilst Massa finds some consistency.
