Bottas has time to reach full potential - Wolff
WIlliams will be urging Bottas to be patient.
Photo by: XPB Images
Jan.11 (GMM) Williams will give Valtteri Bottas at least half a season to get up to speed.
After a full season of preparation as the famous British team's reserve driver last year, practising on most Friday mornings at Grands Prix, 22-year-old rookie Bottas will make his full time race debut in 2013.
"Well, it was mentally tough," he told the MTV3 broadcaster, referring to 2012.
"At the end of practice just when I had found a rhythm in the car I then had to give it back. And I knew that I would have kept improving if only I could have driven more," said Bottas.
"As I then watched the race, of course I thought about what I might have been able to do. It was not so easy.
"Especially the weekends where I could not drive at all -- they were very long," he smiled.
The team, however, will be urging Bottas to be patient. Williams co-owner Toto Wolff, who is also involved in the young driver's management, said the 22-year-old will enjoy some "puppy protection".
"He needs mileage and racing experience," he told Motorsport Aktuell, a Swiss weekly.
"He is very fast and extremely intelligent," Austrian Wolff insisted, "but we have to give him the right environment so that he can realise his potential.
"We can't assume that he will be on the second row in Melbourne, even if the car is capable of it," he continued.
"I believe he can get the full potential from the car by the middle of the season."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Pirelli chief calls for radical F1 overhaul
“Customer” Wolff not as up to speed on 2026 F1 engine plans, says Horner
Mercedes admits F1 upgrade ‘rush’ prompted some worries
Wolff ‘surprised’ by Red Bull protest over F1 engine questions
Sargeant baffled about not being told of illegal F1 safety car overtake
2024 F1 Chinese GP results: Max Verstappen wins for Red Bull
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
Bagnaia used Jerez MotoGP practice as a test for "big" change
Verstappen on DTM protege Vermeulen: He is always within two tenths of me
Binder “had my bike back” in Jerez MotoGP practice breakthrough
Newgarden “didn’t rehearse” emotional IndyCar press conference
The F1 hero-to-zero dividing line that has never been so thin
How Stroll and Magnussen revealed the scale of F1’s racing and rules problems
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments