Williams survives despite the rain at Spa

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit must be favorable to Williams de Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa, but the arrival of the rain redistributed the cards and reduced the strong points of the British single-seaters. However, the Grove team avoided the worst by placing its two drivers in Q3. “These wet and variable conditions are always very complicated to manage and anyone can be trapped”, comments Rob Smedley, Williams' race engineer. “We were careful and this result is satisfactory, Valtteri being three tenths from third place. We saw on Friday that we had good pace in the dry during the long relays. We therefore believe that our drivers will be able to gain positions in the race. »

Valtteri Bottas lacked success as he failed only a few tenths from the Red Bull de Sebastian Vettel who will start from the second row. But the essential is assured for the Finn who will aim for a sixth consecutive finish in the points at the Belgian Grand Prix starting from sixth place. “The rain closed the gaps and we didn't qualify as well as we wanted. I lost tire temperature during my warm-up lap due to traffic and my last lap was compromised. We also lost time in the second sector during this session. We have made a lot of progress in the rain since the start of the season and it remains a good place on the grid. We should be able to threaten Ferrari and Red Bull if the weather remains dry. »

Felipe Massa was further behind since the Brazilian will only start from ninth position after qualifying more than half a second behind his teammate. But the former Scuderia resident had better potential and intends to prove it in the race. “We were performing well during the first two qualifying sessions, but I had traffic in Q3 and I was not able to warm up my tires properly and exploit the full potential of my car. I was slower than in Q2 (by eight tenths) as the track began to dry and the times progressed. I hope I can show what I can do tomorrow. »

Photos of the Belgian Grand Prix tests can be viewed on this link.