Williams to Catch Ferrari Again in Austria

Jun 18, 2015 - by Dani

Valtteri Bottas to race for the podium in Austria (Photo: Formula 1)

Formula One returns to Europe after a trip to Canada, where Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was able to finish in front of the two Ferraris, though it was reported before the race that the Italian outfit brought an updated and more powerful engine to Montreal. Felipe Massa thinks that their Mercedes-powered car has the potential to fight for a podium finish again, while Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne revealed that he thought that four-time world championship winner Sebastian Vettel was the best choice for Ferrari. Now there is a Le Mans winner amongst the active drivers, as Nico Hulkenberg was able to pull out a victory in France last weekend in a Porsche.

Motorsport.com: Vettel the right man for Ferrari – Marchionne

Sergio Marchionne, the president of Ferrari believes that Sebastian Vettel will take back Ferrari to the top. The German driver took over Fernando Alonso’s seat as the Spaniard left Scuderia for McLaren. Vettel won the Malaysian Grand Prix this year and with his constant presence on the podium makes him the number one opponent for Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel carries Ferrari to the next level. (Photo: F1 Fanatic)

Marchionne expressed that now they have the best man for the job, gambling news report. He said, “He is a complete driver. It is one of those things that is very difficult to find, he understands the car really well, and his execution style is beyond reproach.”

Marchionne also stated that he believes Vettel belongs to a delicate group of world champions. He added, “We are lucky to have him; my only objective is to give him the car that can make him win. That is it. The rest he needs to do and he can.”

Autosport.com: Williams F1 team aims to pressure Ferrari with Austrian GP upgrade

According to sports scores news, Williams driver Felipe Massa thinks that the Grove-based outfit can put some pressure on the Ferraris at the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas was able to beat the Scuderia’s two cars in the last race in Montreal, however the Ferrari factory provided some key engine updates before the event in Canada.

Massa expressed that the Mercedes powered Williams cars have the potential to top the Ferraris once again. He said, “Looking at the upgrades on the [Ferrari] engine the difference [to Mercedes] is still similar and I think it shows that we can still fight at the front.”

The Brazilian driver revealed that he doesn’t know when the Mercedes factory will perform some updates regarding their engine. He said, “I don’t know when Mercedes will put some upgrades on the engine maybe when they do we can get stronger in that area.”

BBC.com: Le Mans: Nico Hulkenberg wins Le Mans from Mark Webber

Nico Hulkenberg, who succeeded with Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber in a Porsche, is the first active driver in Formula One who was able to win Le Mans in 24 years. That was the 17th title for Porsche, which is a record in the history of the competition, online mobile news report.

The last time an active F1 driver won Le Mans was in 1991, when Johnny Herbert was part of the team that came first. After the race, Hulkenberg said, “I’m speechless right now, to be honest.” The 30-year-old Tandy was more communicative. He revealed, “I could retire from racing tomorrow and look back on today and I am sure I would be happy for the rest of my life.”

Nico Hulkenberg wins Le Mans (Photo: Formula 1)

Another Porsche, featuring former Formula One driver Marc Webber, came second and the best Audi was third, which meant that Porsche was able to end Audi’s five-year-long streak. The German car manufacturer won 13 of the last 15 editions of Le Mans.

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