Valtteri Bottas admits he is surprised how much Williams has struggled in Monaco after dropping out in Q1.
While Williams has not been competitive at any point during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, Bottas dropped out in the first part of qualifying while team-mate Felipe Massa advanced. Bottas says he was actually happy with his driving but unable to extract any grip from the Pirelli tyres.
"A tough day for all of the team," Bottas said. "We knew this wouldn’t be the best track for us but we didn’t expect it to be this difficult. We have tried plenty of things with the tyres this weekend and still we are struggling.
"We are struggling to put enough energy into the surface of the tyre and create enough tyre surface temperatures. I had traffic in Q1 in the first couple of laps, which meant the temperatures dropped too low. I had one timed lap and I thought the lap was good compared with the grip I had available, but it was just slow."
However, Bottas says he is confident the problem is just specific to Monaco and isn't concerned Williams will suffer a repeat this season.
"It has not been an easy weekend and for sure tomorrow won’t be easy starting where we are. This is Monaco and anything can happen, so we are not giving up on points.
"I am not worried for the rest of the season. We didn’t bring any updates here and we have updates coming for the next two races, so hopefully this is a one off and tomorrow will be important to minimise the damage we are doing in the points. Any points we can get tomorrow is good."
Click here for Saturday's gallery from the Monaco Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Today, we at F1i.com raise a celebratory glass to our esteemed founder, Bertrand Gachot, who…
McLaren roared back to the pinnacle of Formula 1 in 2024, clinching their first Constructors'…
Liam Lawson has revealed that he became the target of online abuse by fans of…
As Carlos Sainz prepares for a new chapter in his Formula 1 career with Williams,…
Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…
When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…