Williams Ready to Compromise Speed for Experience

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Replacing Valtteri Bottas with Felipe Massa means making a compromise on speed, but the experience the Brazilian brings is worth it, according to deputy team principal Claire Williams.

Bottas regularly out qualified Massa throughout their time as team-mates, meaning the switch in the Williams driver line up isn’t swapping like for like. But Williams argued Massa was the “ideal candidate” after Bottas switched to Mercedes.

“We have Lance Stroll joining us this year. He’s a rookie. We needed someone in the second car that has the experience,” Williams told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Felipe, having only just left the team, was absolutely the right choice for us.”

Williams’ relationship with sponsors Martini mean partnering Stroll with another young driver was an unlikely option, but Massa’s return to F1 was about more than just pleasing sponsors.

“Having that experience in the cockpit was the most important thing,” Williams said. “You talk about where Valtteri was last year and the ratios on qualifying and being three tenths quicker – it’s three tenths. And I’d rather have that experience in the cockpit than putting another rookie in there who you don’t quite know what they’re going to do.”

Keeping Bottas at the team – and keeping his experience and speed – would have been the preferred option but both Williams and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said the smaller team left the negotiations strong.

“We would never have made the decision to let Bottas go unless the terms for us were particularly favourable and meant that we came out of it in a strong position,” Williams said.

“Claire is tough in negotiations and it wasn’t always obvious for us that we would get Valtteri,” Wolff said. “We understood that it would be a compromise for Claire to let him go and we found a solution that helps Williams to continue to develop its capabilities and resources and strengthen the team mid-term and long-term.”

Neither Williams nor Wolff confirmed what Williams received for letting Bottas out of his contract.

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Do you think Williams have made the right decision? Is Massa's experience enough to make up for the lack of speed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
 
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Speed is largely gained through experience. That's one problem with F1 -- it's more of a marketing game than a driver showcase. Give me Massa over Bottas in equal cars any day.
 
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Experience is important but sacrificing 3 tenths on outright qualifying pace strikes me as a lot. The truth is Massa just isn't as sharp as he was 10 years ago.

On the other hand I guess if Massa can 'coach' Stroll this year and help get him to his maximum potential relatively quickly then Williams will say that justifies the decision to give him the seat.

My question is would somebody else not be more suitable? Someone with experience who hasn't lost their edge (and no, I wasn't thinking Maldonado before anyone says ;)). Would Sutil be better or not? He was Williams reserve driver in 2015 according to Wikipedia. Massa is available and also familiar with the team's procedures from last year I suppose.
 
Massa lost it when he had his accident,was never the same after that.A great guy but way past his sell by date..Williams had no choice but to ask him back,Martini/Williams had to have a driver over 25yrs old.And as for Speed is largely gained through experience..bull:poop:..Talent goes a long way.When Schumacher first came on the scene,as did Hamilton,Verstappen and others it was clear to see they have an extra gift..
 
Massa lost it when he had his accident,was never the same after that.A great guy but way past his sell by date..Williams had no choice but to ask him back,Martini/Williams had to have a driver over 25yrs old.And as for Speed is largely gained through experience..bull:poop:..Talent goes a long way.When Schumacher first came on the scene,as did Hamilton,Verstappen and others it was clear to see they have an extra gift..
Everyone knows its impossible to come back from an almost fatal accident and drive in a car that's not as competetive as it used to be. Red Bull was clearly too fast for any car when Massa came back, since 2014 the Mercedes' has been untouchable, a few times Massa had some pretty good results since he and Valtteri had a good car, now the car lacks and has been left behind by Ferrari and Red Bull once again.
He will do fine in 2017, just like Schumacher did when he came back from a long retirement.
 
Fair play to Massa for getting back into an F1 car at all after his terrible accident. The fact that he showed competitiveness at times in the years following was a demonstration of real guts and determination.

Good luck to Massa and Stroll this year.
 
Massa is familiar with the team and the experience is just as much for developing the car as it is as a mentor for Stroll. Experience can = Speed if Massa helps get Williams, Stroll and their 2018 driver on the right track. This year will be a searching out year for Williams. Don't forget that Mercedes and Williams have said that the Williams pay-off is mid and long term. That could mean the car, the drivers, the facilities, etc.
 

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