Felipe Massa hopes the Williams Martini Racing can turn around their fortune in 2018 but the now-retired Formula 1 racer says the team are paying for putting their finances first into some of their decisions.
Both Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin are both well-backed but neither have been able to score points in the opening three rounds, with Williams the only team on the grid yet to break into the top ten on race day.
Massa, who ended his four-year tenure at Williams when he retired at the end of 2017, feels the financial situation they are facing has meant they have had to look at bring in the likes of Stroll and Sirotkin rather than someone with more experience, with the inexperience of the current line-up seemingly hindering the development of the FW41.
“It’s true that the team was suffering from the financial situation and I think they made decisions for 2018 putting money first,” said Massa to Motorsport.com. “But this is not enough to make a competitive championship.
“All I can say is that I came out with my head held high. I have a good relationship with everyone at Grove and I hope that the best for the team comes out as soon as possible.
“But I can add that I’m happy to have made my decision last year. I chose the right time and now I’m enjoying my life. I hope Williams can recover.”
