In an interview with the media after the race in Abu Dhabi today, Williams driver Valtteri Bottas capped off an amazing year for Williams with third in Abu Dhabi and fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
After a sluggish start saw him drop from third to eighth at the Yas Marina Circuit, the Finn fought his way back brilliantly to help Williams to secure their first double podium of the season as his team-mate Felipe Massa was second behind Lewis Hamilton.
His podium also meant he secured fourth in the Drivers’ standings as he finished ahead of former World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
In his interview to the media, Bottas is happy to have achieved a podium in Abu Dhabi today and is happy to be at Williams this season. Bottas stated the following:-
‘I always like to be here [on the podium]. It would do for us this season. It’s been an amazing year, we are improving and getting stronger. This last race shows just how far we are going. I’m really thankful I can be part of this team and I can drive this car.’
As Bottas points out, a podium finish is always a great result and he feels that this was the correct result for him and the Williams team. I would have to agree with Bottas that he and Williams have had an amazing year and they deserve it after delivering a competitive car that has challenged the Mercedes team on several occasions during the season.
This season has shown that Williams have taken the right steps by securing people such as Pat Symonds and Rob Smedley that have helped them this season get back to fighting for strong points finishes and podiums which is where a team like Williams deserve to be. And for them to achieve third in the Constructors is a fantastic achievement and they deserve all the success associated with this.
But overall, Bottas has shown this season why he was signed to Williams in the first place and has shown that if he has the car underneath him, he can deliver to a very high standard. Bottas is without question a potential talent of the future and I truly believe that if Williams can build and improve upon their success this season, Bottas could win a race in 2015 if he has the car underneath him.
I truly believe that if Bottas gets the opportunity, he will do so and join the group of many drivers who have won a Grand Prix in Formula One and I hope that is the case for Bottas and also for Williams too.
