• Felipe Massa finished the Monaco Grand Prix ninth, whilst Lance Stroll was forced to retire due to high temperatures in the front left brake system
• Both drivers began the 78-lap race on ultrasoft tyres, before switching to the supersofts. A safety car following a dramatic crash between Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein allowed Felipe to pit for a second time, onto used ultrasofts to the end of the race
• Lance also made a second stop, after further safety car time due to incidents from Marcus Ericsson and Stoffel Vandoorne, for a new set of ultrasofts
• Felipe benefitted from an incident between Danil Kvyat and Sergio Perez late in the race to secure a points-scoring finish for the team in ninth
• WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING retain sixth position in the Constructors’ Championship, whilst Felipe remains ninth in the Drivers’ Championship
Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer: It was always going to be a difficult race starting from 14th and 17th. We planned to deploy our strategy tactically and take advantage of safety cars if there was an opportunity to make up positions. As is usually the case in Monaco, it was an eventful race in the end. Felipe was able to benefit from this as he managed to secure two points for the team. Lance drove a solid race but, unfortunately, we had to retire him on lap 72 due to a problem with his left front brake system, which appears to have been caused by debris being picked up that blocked the cooling system. Overall, we’re happy to have collected some points, but our car wasn’t quick enough today. We’ll learn from this to ensure we come back stronger next time.
Felipe Massa: I’m happy with the result and scoring points today. We had brake issues from the start and I had to manage them from the very first lap. I’ve never had to do that before in my career! At the end, I could see Perez trying to pass me on his fresh tyres and I thought ‘stay here and just try to get some points’, which is exactly what happened. My experience as a driver definitely helped me to get points today, so I’m very happy.
Lance Stroll: I was driving OK but then we had an issue at the end so we had to stop. Unfortunately, these things happen, especially at Monaco. There were several incidents, which meant that the tyres lost temperature and it was really hard to get that back. But the next race is my home event and I’m feeling positive going into that. It’s going to be very special to go home and to know that our car can be strong there.
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