Williams co-owner Toto Wolff believes it may take up to ten races for Valtteri Bottas to reach his full potential behind the wheel of the FW35.
The Austrian isn’t pressuring the 23-year-old rookie to deliver the maximum result possible in the opening races, realising it will take some time for the Finn to get up to speed despite his raw talent.
“He needs mileage and racing experience,” Wolff told Motorsport Aktuell. “He is very fast and extremely intelligent, but we have to give him the right environment so that he can realise his potential.
“We can’t assume that he will be on the second row in Melbourne, even if the car is capable of it,” he added.
Wolff expects Bottas to have settled in and begun to deliver by the tenth race of the year.
“I believe he can get the full potential from the car by the middle of the season,” he concluded.
