Hakkinen: Williams Should Have Let Bottas Pass Massa at Silverstone
Mika Hakkinen says Williams missed a chance at the 2015 British Grand Prix by not instructing Felipe Massa to let Valtteri Bottas through during the early laps.
Mika Hakkinen has criticised Williams for not instructing Felipe Massa to move aside for Valtteri Bottas during the opening stages of the 2015 British Grand Prix, arguing the team missed a clear opportunity to maximise their result at Silverstone.
The controversy centres on the opening laps at Silverstone, where Williams found themselves leading with Massa heading Bottas. Hakkinen, a two-time world champion and part of Bottas’s management team, said Bottas clearly had the pace to challenge for the win if he had not been held up behind his teammate.
“Valtteri had clearly better pace than Felipe,” Hakkinen said, pointing out the difficulty of overtaking when both drivers are in identical machinery. He argued that Williams should have acted immediately to capitalise on Bottas’s speed, suggesting that team orders were the logical choice to boost their victory chances.
Felipe Massa rejected the criticism, stating that if Bottas had been so much faster, he would have found a way past. Massa’s stance was that racing should be decided on the track, not by instructions from the pit wall.
Team orders debate at Williams
Williams did not issue team orders during the crucial early phase, despite Bottas’s apparent speed advantage. The decision has drawn scrutiny, especially given the context of a rare opportunity for the team to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari for a race win. Hakkinen’s comments reflect a wider debate about how teams manage their drivers when a clear difference in pace emerges.
Hakkinen’s involvement as Bottas’s manager is notable, but he also acknowledged Massa’s pedigree. He described Massa as still very fast, referencing his near-miss in the 2008 world championship and his eight seasons at Ferrari. Hakkinen added that a driver cannot afford to be outperformed by their teammate, especially when seeking a move to a top team like Ferrari.
Implications for Bottas and Ferrari
The Silverstone episode came as Bottas was linked with a possible move to Ferrari. Hakkinen pointed out that Bottas being pushed hard by Massa, who had been dropped by Ferrari two years earlier, could be seen as a weakness in Bottas’s case for a top drive. At the same time, Hakkinen stressed the level at which Massa was still competing.
The situation at Ferrari was complicated further by speculation over Kimi Raikkonen’s future, with Hakkinen describing the environment as highly political. He also referenced Raikkonen’s costly tyre choice error at Silverstone, calling such decisions a "lottery" in changeable conditions.
- Williams led the early laps at Silverstone with Massa ahead of Bottas.
- No team orders were given despite Bottas’s pace advantage.
- Bottas’s management, including Hakkinen, publicly questioned the decision.
- Massa maintained his position was justified by on-track racing.
- The debate played into wider questions about Bottas’s readiness for a Ferrari drive.
