Valtteri Bottas took his first podium finish of the season two weeks ago in Canada, and returns to the scene of his very first top three finish a year ago in Austria this weekend.
The Williams Martini Racing driver finished as best of the rest behind the two Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS drivers in both last years race and in the last race in Montreal, and is eager to get back behind the wheel of his FW37 at the Red Bull Ring.
“Austria is a beautiful country and the Grand Prix is packed with racing fans,” said Bottas. “The atmosphere is going to be great again I’m sure! It’s great to be going back to Austria.
“Last year, as a team we had strong qualifying with a front-row lockout, and in the race I achieved my first Formula One podium.
“The track, with its long straights and a mixture of slow and high-speed corners requires good straight-line speed and strong aero efficiency from the car. With the upgrades we are bringing here, we are expecting another strong weekend.”
Team-mate Felipe Massa missed out on the podium twelve months ago, but did take pole position at the circuit, ultimately finishing fourth, and had a strong race two weeks ago in Canada, climbing from fifteenth to sixth after problems during qualifying.
The Brazilian is looking to build on the momentum of the strong pace he and the team showed in Montreal.
“The circuit in Austria is a great track, very fast and really enjoyable to drive,” said Massa. “Our car is normally suited to this track and I will never forget my pole position last year.
“Hopefully this year we can have a repeat or at least something similar, as we are looking to build on the momentum we have following Canada.”