Austria 2015 - GP Preview - Williams Mercedes

The Red-Bull Ring located in the small town of Spielberg, Austria hosted its first Grand Prix under its new guise in 2014 and what a race it turned out to be for Williams. The short 4.326km circuit with its undulating features and ‘Sound of Music’ scenery was a popular return to the Formula One calendar. Williams scored its only 1-2 of the season in qualifying in Austria and Valtteri Bottas went on to claim his first ever Formula One podium. Williams has totalled three wins at the Austrian Grand Prix throughout its various track layouts.

ROB SMEDLEY

We are coming out of a race where we’ve shown great pace and good tyre management so going into Austria we can be confident of aiming for the front again. It’s a circuit that is very rewarding for power and drag and we know that our car is strong in these areas, so we’re confident. It’s a great little track out in the countryside, you get a lot of fans there who are big fans of Formula 1 which is always nice. Third is looking even more solid but we can’t take anything for granted and it isn’t just about third. We want to push on and try to close up to Ferrari. It’s a circuit where we can make points on them and that is our target.

VALTTERI BOTTAS

Austria is a beautiful country and the Grand Prix is packed with racing fans. 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.

FELIPE MASSA

The circuit in Austria is a great track, very fast and really enjoyable to drive. 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.