Massa: Singapore the “hardest” track left for Williams

Felipe Massa says this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix will be “probably the hardest track” for Williams until the end of the current Formula One season.

Coming off a strong podium finish at Monza, the Brazilian is braced for a tougher outing at Marina Bay, a street circuit that shares similar traits with narrow and twisty venues like Monaco and the Hungaroring where Williams struggled earlier this year.

“It’s not easy to get the set-up perfect and the tyres working in the ideal operating window,” said Massa. “These are challenges we will face from the start of the first session.

“Of the last remaining races this season this is probably the hardest track for our car, but that doesn’t mean we can’t deliver a good haul of points.”

• Williams hopeful of tackling Ferrari in Singapore

Besides agreeing with his team-mate on Singapore's technical challenge, Valtteri Bottas, who suffers a lower back injury at the start of the 2015 campaign, also emphasises the physical strain of racing at Marina Bay.

“For the team it’s a challenging track as there are so many corners with different characteristics, which makes it hard to get the balance perfect,” said the Finn.

“The heat, humidity and intensity of the track also make it very physically demanding. There have been a few changes to the track layout this year so it will be interesting to see the effects these have.”

Felipe Massa has one pole position (2008) and five consecutive points finishes to his name at Marina Bay, while Bottas has yet to score under the floodlights of Singapore.

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