Valtteri Bottas has said that Williams’ biggest problem in 2015 is their poor race pace compared to their rivals.
2014 was a revitalized season for the Grove team who looked the best team behind champions Mercedes. However the team have performed below their expectations in the opening two races of the new season.
Bottas raced in Malaysia for the first time this season after missing the opening race due to a back injury. He finished three seconds ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa in fifth.
The Finn conceded Williams just did not have the race pace, finishing over one minute behind race winner Sebastian Vettel.
“We maximized the result but we are missing race pace – and quite a big amount,” said Bottas.
“With the ideal race, starting at the front, the gap wouldn’t be that big but it is too big, much bigger than we expected.
“It shows we have a lot of work to do. There is a lot more potential, we just need to get more performance because it is possible others made huge steps.”
Bottas has said Williams need to improve in slow-speed corners the most after struggling behind the Toro Rosso’s and Red Bull’s.
“In traffic, we seem to struggle with traction a bit in slow-speed corners compared to Toro Rosso and Red Bull,” said Bottas.
“Toro Rosso seem to be much stronger where we are weak, which is slow-speed, mid to exit.
“We have some updates coming and all we can do now is learn from anything we can.”
Image Courtesy Of Williams F1 Team
