The Williams Martini Racing team walked away from the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday without adding to their points tally, with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas twelfth and thirteenth respectively after a difficult afternoon at the Hungaroring.
Massa’s day started badly when he caused the start to be aborted for being out of position on the grid, something he received a five-second penalty for, but felt the whole day was an uphill challenge for him.
“That was a really challenging day for us,” said Massa. “I got a penalty early on and then the medium tyre in traffic didn’t work well for me at all, it was uphill from there on.
“As a team we walked away with no points, which is a blow for the Championship, but something we now have to make up for.”
Team-mate Bottas was running inside the points for the first half of the race, but a puncture just after the resumption of the race following the safety car intervention, caused by the Finn’s right rear tyre being clipped by the front wing of Max Verstappen, ended his opportunity of a top ten finish.
“It was a disappointing day to score no points,” reflected Bottas. “At the start of the race we were running in line with the pace of the car.
“There were plenty of opportunities to score well, but I suffered a puncture at the wrong time and from then on it was a struggle.
“It is important we move forward from this, have a good rest and arrive fresh and ready for Spa.”
