Williams Martini Racing
Felipe Massa believes that his chance of finishing on the podium at the Australian Grand Prix disappeared when he got stuck behind Daniel Ricciardo as he exited the pits.
Massa was running in third place but emerged from his solitary stop behind the Red Bull driver, and when Sebastian Vettel pitted a lap late the German came out ahead of Massa, with their positions maintained until the end of the race.
"The aim of today was start the season with a solid points haul and demonstrate that we have a competitive car," said Massa.
"We have managed to achieve much of what we wanted so this has been a positive start. The only disappointing part of the race was that I was jumped at the first pitstop by Vettel after losing a second and a half behind Ricciardo on my out-lap which was enough to lose the position.
"I have faith in the team and the car and we head to Malaysia knowing we are very much in the fight."
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas was unable to start due to a back problem but is hopeful of being fit for the next race in Malaysia.
"I have done a lot of work since the issue with my back came in qualifying to get myself ready, starting treatment immediately, so the news that I couldn’t race today was obviously disappointing but I respect the decision," Bottas said.
"I now have two weeks until the next race to receive further treatment to ensure I will be back to full fitness and even stronger in Malaysia. I’m very eager to get back in the car and race because the FW37 is looking competitive and I’m confident we can fight for podiums."
