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| Valtteri Bottas expresses his views on his promotion from a Reserve Driver to a Racing Driver for the 2013 Formula One season at the Williams F1 team |
Q: You’ve been part of Williams since joining the team as a test driver
in 2010, how does it feel to finally be race driver for the team?
VB: It feels incredible to be driving in Formula One next season and
to be with a team like Williams, with all its pedigree, is even more special. I’ve
worked hard to get here ever since I started karting at six years old, but the real work
starts now as I prepare myself for the biggest challenge of my career. The fact that
I’ve been with Williams since 2010 will help a lot though because I know the
engineers really well and have a good working relationship with them.
Q: What are your objectives for the 2013 season?
VB: It’s difficult to set objectives before the season starts,
so I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity to prove the team has been
right to promote me to a race seat. I want to look back on 2013 and feel that I’ve
improved as a driver and helped the team improve its performance on the track.
Q: After being GP3 Champion in 2011, you spent last season out of racing
focusing on your Reserve Driver role at Williams, how much will that effect
you?
VB: I’m a naturally very competitive person and I’ve been
competing in triathlons throughout 2012 to keep fit and keep my mind sharp. Obviously
I’ve missed racing a great deal so can’t wait to get back onto a starting
grid, but I’ve been racing constantly since a very young age so when the lights go
out in Australia It will be business as usual.
Q: What do you make of your now team mate, Pastor Maldonado?
VB: Pastor showed at a number of tracks in 2012 that he’s very
quick and the win in Barcelona showed that he can cope well with pressure. We get on well
off the track as we’ve spent a lot of time together travelling to the various races,
and I’ll certainly benefit and learn from his greater experience.
Q: How much of an advantage is it to know the engineers, team and Williams
procedures so well already?
VB: I’ve been part of the Williams family since the start of
2010 and feel very at home both at Grove and at the track. I know my engineers very well
so we already know how to get the best performance from each other. I also live in the UK
and last year moved just down the road from the factory so I am there quite a lot and know
everyone well. Because of that we can focus immediately on the 2013 season and what we can
achieve together.
Q: How much will the 15 FP1 sessions you drove in 2012 help you moving
forward?
VB: This will be a big help as it means there are only a handful of
circuits on the 2013 calendar that I have never driven, in Australia, Monaco, Valencia,
Austin and Singapore. There will still be a lot of work to do but it means that I do have
some knowledge to work from heading to most races next season.
