New Williams Guru Paddy Lowe insists the teams decision to re-recruit Felip Massa, is a valid decision and that the team didn’t settle on the weakest option available.

Massa, who was given an emotional send off from formula one last season, was brought back to the team after Mercedes made their move for Williams driver Valtteri Bottas. Williams were adamant that an experienced head was required to help develop rookie 18 year old Lance Stroll this season. 

Paddy himself returns to Williams for this season, has nothing but admiration and praise for the way Felipe goes about his racing. 

“The line-up we have with Felipe and Lance is really exciting in itself,” said Lowe.
“I understand what you say, that you could accuse them [Williams] of losing their star driver, but actually Felipe and Valtteri are both great drivers.

“I’ve been a big admirer of Felipe throughout his career, he drove an absolutely amazing season in 2008 and so narrowly missed the championship competing with Lewis.

“As the competition of that time, I was very admiring of Felipe and his performance so it’s really great for me to come and work with him.

“I don’t see Felipe as a poor option.”

Lowe also remarked about the departure of Valtteri to his old team Mercedes, adding that the team owed it to the flying Finn in allowing him to move on. 
“I’m not privy to the actual negotiations about Valtteri, but he is ambitious – and respect to Williams and Claire [Williams, deputy team principal] particularly for allowing him to progress his career as he wanted to.
“Nobody wants to do a job they don’t want to do, and if Valtteri felt it was an opportunity he wanted to take forward, it would have been wrong of Williams to deny him that at this stage of his career.”
Lowe, who only started back at Williams last Week after finessing his garden over the winter, was quick to reiterate that Williams don’t need to beef up their personnel with people from Brackley. 
“There are great people in the team already,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com whether or not there would be a push to recruit other top engineers.
“I don’t think the game here is about coming in and saying ‘right we need to ship in a load of superstars’.
“Every team has got some great people in it and you’ve got narrow margins you are working with, it’s about getting that team to work together on the right things.
“People very often asked me what was the secret to Mercedes’ success and you can’t pin it down to a simple answer.

“If you did, it was teamwork – that was the crucial thing.”
Williams may well be dark horses this year, and Lowes expertise is expected to help speed up the teams in-season development program. If this happens, Williams will be at worst aiming for a top four constructors spot.