Bottas finish surprises Williams

It was a mixed weekend for Williams, which ended on a high with Valtteri Bottas standing on the second step of the podium.

Along with Ferrari, Williams got caught out on Saturday during qualifying which meant that both Bottas and team-mate Felipe Massa were eliminated from qualifying in Q1.

Bottas qualified in 17th, whilst Massa qualified in 18th.

Due to various penalties both were bumped up three places on the grid so by the time Sunday came around Bottas had gained three places before the race had got underway.

That said, no-one, not even his own team bosses could have expected him to climb from 14th to 2nd.

?I think that he?s a very, very good driver. He?s a great driver, His racecraft is phenomenal and he?s super-quick.

?My opinion of him is growing week by week. I think he?s a very, very good driver and he can become an exceptional driver. We?re lucky to have him.? Williams Head of Performance Engineering Rob Smedley told Sky Sports.

Unfortunately on his 200th Grand Prix, Felipe Massa was unable to utilise the car he had as he was caught up in Kimi Raikkonen’s horror smash on the opening lap.

To avoid t-boning the Ferrari, Massa put his Williams into a spin which eventually forced his retirement following impact with the Ferrari.

?This track is very dominated by aerodynamic drag sensitivity, by the power sensitivity ? there?s not many low-speed corners here ? so we knew that the car would be good. We just didn?t realise how good.?

?I?m hugely disappointed to have a car that quick and have only one of them finish,?

?That?s life, that?s Formula 1; you just have to get on with it. I?m torn because I?m happy with the fact that the car is very quick, which is always the main thing, but gutted that one of them?s gone out and we?ve got no points with it.’ Smedley added.