Massa says Bottas result shows what could have been

The Brazilian endured another frustrating race in Malaysia as the clock continues to wind down on his Formula 1 career.

Massa had to start from the pitlane at Sepang after he suffered a throttle issue at the start of the formation lap, and after it was rectified he suffered an early puncture that left him at the back of the field.

He eventually finished 13th, while Bottas took his best result since the Canadian Grand Prix in fifth.

"It was a very difficult race, everything happened at the same moment," said Massa.

"First of all they switched on the engine and the throttle was not working, for a software issue or whatever. They switched off and switched on again, and it worked.

"So I started, we changed the tyres at the first Virtual Safety Car, I did maybe two or three laps.

"There was so much debris on the track, maybe I took one, and I just had a puncture on the front left, and I had to stop again.

"And my race was completely finished. Unfortunately it could have been a different race."

He added: "On the one hand it's really good, because he did a great job, and a great race, the pace was really good, even to fight with the Force Indias.

"On the other hand it could have been both cars at the front. At least he did a good job, that's the important thing. So let's concentrate on the next races."