Massa hoping speed advantage will suit Williams in Belgium

Felipe Massa, Williams FW36

Felipe Massa believes the long straights in Belgium will suit the powerful Williams car, as Formula One returns this weekend at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The team are at their most competitive when faced with a fast track and Spa suits them perfectly.

Massa will be hoping he can claw back some ground on his team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who sits 55 points ahead in the standings. Williams will be expected to score a good haul of points at Spa, and may even challenge the Mercedes pair in qualifying.

The former champions are one of four users of the Mercedes power-unit, which is clearly the best on the grid and gives them a big advantage on tracks with long straights.

Massa said, “The long straights should suit our car and we can kick the second half of the season off with some success. I won here in 2008 so I know what it takes to win. We have some great tracks to look forward to and I hope we can carry on developing our car like we did the first half of the season, and continue to be near the front.”

Williams team celebration after podium in Austria

Valtteri Bottas, who, along with Daniel Ricciardo has been the most impressive driver outside of Mercedes, also expects Williams to be strong in Belgium. He could be worth a flutter on a front row start, if Mercedes continue their qualifying problems.

Head of vehicle performance, Rob Smedley, has concerns about the twisty middle sector and says that tyres will be key for all teams during that part of the lap. Despite this, Williams are expected to be best of the rest behind Mercedes as F1 returns after four weeks away.

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