Valtteri Bottas was delighted after he claimed fifth place at the Malaysia Grand Prix. With those points crucial in helping Williams in their battle with Force India for fourth place in the Constructor’s Championship.
Having qualified in 11th place after a disappointing Saturday for Bottas, his Williams team opted for an optimistic one-stop strategy compared to the rest of the field. Bottas made a long opening stint on the unfavoured medium tyre before switching to the hard tyre for the final section of the race to secure fifth.
After the race, Bottas commented: “I think it was a very good day for us. We definitely got everything there was to get from today.
“The start was good, we were able to make our planned strategy work, which was crucial today to be in front of Force India.”
The Finnish driver saw his teammate, Felipe Massa, unable to leave the grid from 10th on the formation lap, meaning the Brazilian had to start the race from the pitlane. It was a disappointing blow to Williams in their fight with Force India.
Bottas further added: “It’s a shame we lost points with Felipe’s technical issues, but from my side I’m happy with the race. Let’s try and repeat this in Japan.”
The paddock now heads to Japan for round 17 of the season next weekend and a circuit where Bottas will be hoping for a repeat of his 2015 performance which saw him qualify third and finish a respectable fifth.
