Bottas: We are missing race pace and quite a big amount

Before the first race of the 2015 season many expected Williams to take the fight to Mercedes, but that has not transpired and the former world champions have even taken a step back in the current Formula 1 pecking order, with Valtteri Bottas lamenting the lack of race pace in the FW37.

After missing the season opener in Melbourne due to a back injury, Bottas was back in action at Sepang and reflected after his fifth place finish, “We maximised the result but we are missing race pace – and quite a big amount.”

“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,” said the highly rated Finn referring no doubt to the leap made by Ferrari.

Bottas explained, “In traffic, we seem to struggle with traction a bit in slow-speed corners compared to Toro Rosso and Red Bull. 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,” concluded Bottas.

Last year Williams became a Mercedes F1 engine customer and, after a number of years in the doldrums, became front runners, eventually finishing the season third in the constructor’s standings.

In testing earlier this year they appeared to have retained the momentum, but in Australia they already appeared to have slipped a notch and in the heat of Malaysia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel powered to victory and gave everyone ‘a wake up call.’