Valtteri Bottas says Williams needs “to get everything perfect” over the remaining seven races of the 2016 Formula One season if the British team wants to outduel Force India for fourth in the Constructors’ championship.
Having slipped to fifth behind its rivals after Spa-Francorchamps, Williams managed to get back ahead thanks to a double points finish at the Italian Grand Prix.
Having started from fifth, Bottas kept his position for most of the race until Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo pulled off a stunning move on the inside Turn One.
“I don’t think there was more than sixth place available for us,” Bottas said. “At least we are now in front of Force India in the championship, which is very good for us.
“We need to get everything perfect if we want to stay ahead of [them] in the next couple of races. It will be, anyway, a very interesting fight between them and us.”
Having announced ahead of the Monza event that he would retire from F1 at the end of the current campaign, Bottas’ team-mate Felipe Massa recovered from 11th to ninth, while Force India’s Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg had to settle for eighth and 10th respectively.
Williams currently leads Force India by three points.
2016 Italian Grand Prix - Quotes of the week
DRIVER RATINGS - 2016 Italian Grand Prix
RACE REPORT: Rosberg wins at Monza to cut Hamilton gap to two points
COMMENT: McLaren's 2017 driver line-up: A stroke of genius?
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