Breaking news

Formula 1

Bottas preferred Bahrain over Barcelona

Valtteri Bottas has lamented the end of winter testing in the island Kingdom of Bahrain.

GMM

Edited: Feb 19, 2015, 8:36 AM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW37

Valtteri Bottas, Williams F1 Team

FIA flag waves in Bahrain

The sun sets over Bahrain

Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW37

Valtteri Bottas, Williams

Valtteri Bottas, Williams FW37

Previously, F1 teams made the pre-season trip to the Middle East to avoid Europe's cold winter, but the practice was stopped for 2015 as a cost-saving measure.

So after this year's track preparations kicked off recently at Jerez, the sport is now busily setting up at another Spanish venue, the Circuit de Catalunya.

"It was, of course, better to do it in Bahrain," Williams driver Bottas told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"(It) Bahrain was so much closer to the kind of temperatures that await us in the world championship."

However, Bottas did acknowledge that as Barcelona is the venue for the Spanish Grand Prix, and as so much testing has taken place at the venue in the past, the work done in 2015 "will not go to waste".

Closing the gap

Williams' work will be aimed at getting the Grove team even closer to the 2014 pacesetters Mercedes this season, Bottas admitted.

"I hope we are closer this season," he confirmed.

"We have a number of positive things that have made the car feel better than what we had last year, but all in all the basic feeling is similar to last year."

The new FW37, however, has been hailed up and down pitlane as an obviously tidy package, including its noticeably short nose that is expected to be widely copied in 2015.

"I think Red Bull('s 2015 car) has a bit of the same ideology as us," said Bottas.

"I guess the solution is to get as much air as possible under the front of the car and to the diffuser," he explained.

"It's better to ask the engineers for more detail on that, but it does look like a good solution for us."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Vettel must beat Raikkonen in 2015 - Coulthard

Next article Barcelona Formula One testing kicks off

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

GMM



The season is still very long - Rosberg

Formula 1

Formula 1

The season is still very long - Rosberg



Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes

Formula 1

Formula 1

Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes



Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position

Formula 1

Formula 1

Chinese GP

Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position

More from

Valtteri Bottas



Colton Herta qualifies for F1 superlicence as Valtteri Bottas remains bullish on 2027 seat

Formula 1

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

14 h

Colton Herta qualifies for F1 superlicence as Valtteri Bottas remains bullish on 2027 seat



Cadillac to investigate high-speed Mexico GP failure that led to angry Valtteri Bottas reaction

Formula 1

Formula 1

Mexican GP

Cadillac to investigate high-speed Mexico GP failure that led to angry Valtteri Bottas reaction



You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas

Formula 1

Canadian GP

You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas

Latest news



Kaden Honeycutt: "I put my nuts on the dash" to win Homestead and NASCAR Truck title

NASCAR Truck

NSTR NASCAR Truck

Homestead

4 h

Kaden Honeycutt: "I put my nuts on the dash" to win Homestead and NASCAR Truck title



Chase Briscoe leads NASCAR Cup Homestead practice; Larson brushes wall and Reddick wrecks

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

8 h

Chase Briscoe leads NASCAR Cup Homestead practice; Larson brushes wall and Reddick wrecks



Hamlin and Bell left with what could have been in NASCAR Chase

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Homestead-Miami

8 h

Hamlin and Bell left with what could have been in NASCAR Chase



Why Max Verstappen ended F1 practice early in Brazil – Red Bull explains

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

9 h

Why Max Verstappen ended F1 practice early in Brazil – Red Bull explains

Feature

Discover prime content



What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Brazilian GP



How F1’s rules got to be so complex

Formula 1

By Pat Symonds

How F1’s rules got to be so complex



A water park, “not a rock star” and Toto Wolff’s words – Is Kimi Antonelli really a different F1 champion?

Formula 1

By Ronald Vording

A water park, “not a rock star” and Toto Wolff’s words – Is Kimi Antonelli really a different F1 champion?



Why Ferrari must act now after its own 'Papaya Rules' moment

Formula 1

Mexican GP

By Filip Cleeren

Why Ferrari must act now after its own 'Papaya Rules' moment

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe