Felipe Massa is disappointed with his Russian Grand Prix after finishing ninth as a puncture ruined his race forcing a second pitstop
Having run in sixth place behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for most of the race up to that point, Massa was looking to secure yet more solid points for Williams with Force India chasing him down scoring yet another double finish in the top 10.
“I’m disappointed, we were just unlucky with the tyres,” said the Brazilian.
“I was really taking care of the car and the tyres, keeping the gaps in the right place, and we had a sixth position in our pocket today.
“It is unfortunate and painful for the team that we have lost good points, but we can’t do anything about it. The car felt good, it was consistent with a good pace, I had a good start and first lap. I was around eight seconds ahead of Perez, we were just unlucky
In the final lap of the race, Massa was being lapped by his former Williams team-mate and race leader Valtteri Bottas, as he was being hunted down by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, almost becoming a deciding factor in the race result.
Speaking after the race, Massa said he was happy for Bottas scoring his first win, claiming he will be a different driver after his first victory.
“I’m so happy that Valtteri managed to get his first victory. I knew when he signed for Mercedes that he was going to do a good job there, like he did for Williams, and he’s doing it.
“He will be a different driver now with that first victory in his pocket.”
