Williams Martini Racing driver Felipe Massa is hoping to get his season back on track at the Red Bull Ring, after a pair of retirements cut short the Brazilian’s previous two races.
In Canada, Massa’s afternoon was over on the first lap after being taken out in a collision with Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr., before a suspension failure put an end to his race in Azerbaijan while running high up the order.
Returning to Austria – the circuit at which he took his most recent pole position in 2014 – Massa is looking to channel his past successes into a decent result this weekend.
“In the past I’ve had some good races where I’ve finished on the podium, and I had my pole position in 2014, so I also really enjoy spending time in Austria.”
“The fans are always enthusiastic about Formula One, so I hope that we can have a good weekend and that I can bounce back from the disappointment in Baku.”
Williams’ design philosophy has allowed the British team to be competitive at the Spielberg venue over the past few seasons, and Massa hopes that the team is able to continue its strong form at the circuit, which he described as “fun” in addition to its challenging, flowing layout.
“Austria is a really fun track to drive. There are some nice high-speed corners and a couple of really good straights, and we are normally quite competitive there.”
Massa will begin the Austrian Grand Prix weekend occupying tenth in the drivers’ championship, just three points ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll.