Formula 1 2013 United States Grand Prix - Sebastian Vettel Takes Unstoppable Eighth

The Small Picture

The small picture goes to flying Finn Valtteri Bottas, who after looking strong right from the get-go had a stellar weekend that involved fantastic pace in Q1 and Q2. In Q3 he was actually a little disappointed to only get eighth place, still a great result for the current Williams, especially as his teammate sulkily ended up in P18. He just seemed dialled into the circuit, and not for the first time this season after his fantastic wet weather performance at the Canadian Grand Prix back in June. It didn't work out that day, but this time around it was genuine and he took the car to the finish where he started, holding off the excellent Nico Rosberg in his Mercedes till the end to scoop four points, increasing Williams points tally five-fold for the season. It is great to see Bottas having a chance to show he really deserves a place in Formula 1 as it can often be tough to tell with a lacklustre car, and with so many drivers competing for seats either through talent or finances throughout the field it means there's a lot of pressure to perform. And this showing, ahead of Maldonado making way for experienced teammate Felipe Massa for 2014, bodes well for his future and repays Frank Williams faith in giving him the seat this year. And in a personal way, it's always lovely to see Williams succeed. A long standing Formula 1 legend, Williams have had it tough in recent years since they lost their BMW engines some years back and have struggled consistently throughout the V8 era running Cosworth, Toyota and Renault engines. Last years' win in Spain and some encouragement this year with Bottas hints that maybe, just maybe, they can recapture their former glory.
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Self-confessed Geek; Aerospace Engineer with a passion for Formula 1, Engineering, Science and Cinema.