Williams Martini Racing
Felipe Massa has conceded that Williams has big strides to make after a low-key pair of practice sessions for this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
Massa sat out most of the first session after crashing at Sainte Devote early into running, and was able to set only the 16th best time when he returned to action in the afternoon.
Williams has struggled for pace in Monaco across the past few years and Massa accepted that the FW38 lacks grip and traction.
"It was a difficult morning, losing so much time in the session when I could have been driving," he said, referring to his crash.
"I missed a lot of laps, and we know in Monaco it is important to be on the track all the time you can.
"It was not a very good afternoon for us. We struggled to get good lap times.
"We’re missing grip and traction, so we need to work on the car to try to improve and make it more competitive for this track, especially for the race."
Valtteri Bottas fared little better and managed only 14th spot.
"The car set-up felt better than what we have tried here before," he said.
"At the same time, it was more difficult to drive, with quite a bit of oversteer, so I was a little nervous. I had a bit of a moment in FP1, but that’s part of it. It’s a tough track.
"The times are looking very close, so any gain we can make before qualifying will be very useful."
