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.
The young Finn can't wait. "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." (GMM)
Williams gives Valtteri Bottas time to reach full potential
- Published on 11 Jan 2013 14:56
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
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Spain
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Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
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Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
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Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
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10 - Apr 12
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Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
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1 - May 3
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Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
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Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
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Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
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26 - Jun 28
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Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
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Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Driver profile
- Team Cadillac F1
- Points 1,608
- Podiums 61
- Grand Prix 221
- Country FI
- Date of b. Aug 28 1989 (36)
- Place of b. Nastola, FI
- Weight 70 kg
- Length 1.73 m
- 135,081 comments on Cadillac F1
2 members have this team as their favourite
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Team profile
- Team name Williams
- Base Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- Jacques Villeneuve 1
- Logan Sargeant 2
- Ayrton Senna 2
- Jacques Villeneuve 3
- Nicholas Latifi 6
- Jacques Villeneuve 6
- Nico Rosberg 7
- Nico Hülkenberg 10
- Nico Rosberg 10
- Jenson Button 10
- Pastor Maldonado 12
- Pastor Maldonado 16
- Nico Rosberg 16
- Nico Rosberg 16
- Valtteri Bottas 17
- Lance Stroll 18
- Pastor Maldonado 18
- Felipe Massa 19
- Alexander Albon 23
- Sergey Sirotkin 35
- Nyck de Vries 45
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Robert Kubica 88
- 161,828 comments on Williams
- 39 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Williams
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