Race - Monaco GP report: Williams Mercedes

Felipe Massa finished seventh whilst Valtteri Bottas race ended on lap 50 of 78 in the Monaco Grand Prix. Both drivers made strong starts and, despite two safety cars interrupting proceedings, looked in a strong position to collect a good points haul for the team following their pitstops. Felipe pushed hard to catch Button and capitalised on accidents between Magnussen and Raikkonen. Valtteri stopped on track following an issue related to the Power Unit. The cause is being investigated.

Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering

Felipe’s race went well; he recovered from 16th to seventh and stayed out of trouble, driving with a sensible head. The strategy was a risk but paid dividends as we didn’t have to stack the cars during the pitstops. Valtteri would have got some good points today, but sadly there was a failure on his car. We now have to look forward to Canada and consider where we can make improvements to continue bringing home points.

Felipe Massa

I am very happy with seventh after starting 16th on the grid. I took some risks when I changed strategy at the safety car and had to make my tyres last, which they did. I made the most of the opportunities I had with other cars making mistakes or retiring. Many things could have happened so I am pleased they worked out for the best. A tough weekend turned into a positive one.

Valtteri Bottas

We had an issue with the power unit which is frustrating. There are some investigations to do to find out exactly what happened. After the start I was quickly in the points so it could have been a good weekend. Felipe finished seventh so the team can walk away with something. We now look towards Canada where we hope to be strong due to the nature of the track.