Williams Martini Racing believe Valtteri Bottas has improved since the speculation surrounding a potential move to Scuderia Ferrari ended after regaining his focus.
Deputy team boss Claire Williams says that Bottas has become a better driver after the rumours were squashed. Bottas has dominated his more experienced team-mate Felipe Massa this season but the Finnish driver could be under pressure to keep his seat at Williams.
Speaking to Autosport, Williams spoke about Bottas and his improved form, “Valtteri has improved and improved.”
“He has really matured into a driver that can build a team around him and galvanise people. “We saw he lost a bit of that focus last year with the Ferrari rumours, but he has reset.
“We’ve seen a very different Valtteri this year, an even better version of himself. I knew him when he was our development driver and you can see the trajectory has gone upward and I don’t think he has stopped going up.
“He still has a huge amount to prove and I hope we can one day give him the race car to prove that he is a championship-worthy racing driver.”
Claire Williams admitted that Valtteri Bottas and Jenson Button would be a dream partnership but the likes of Felipe Nasr and Sergio Perez are in the frame.
“We brought Felipe in for a number of reasons in 2014 and he has delivered more than we maybe thought or he probably thought,” she said. “We have had a great three years with him and he’s a wonderful person to have in the team.
“To have a driver pairing like Felipe and Valtteri we may take for granted sometimes because they just get on with the job and do it and do it in a very nice way.
“They not only do a great job trackside but they do a great job behind the scenes, coming into the factory, talking to the guys. Felipe and Valtteri is a dream combination and both have done a brilliant job.”
