Bruno Senna has said he is under no pressure from Williams to match Pastor Maldonado this season and that his priority is to learn so that he can challenge more in 2013.
Senna has had a solid, if unspectacular, season so far, and while he has scored points on three occasions, with a high of sixth in Malaysia and a tenth place in Monaco last Sunday, with Maldonado winning in Spain and claiming the pole, some have questioned whether he needs to do more. Indeed there was some speculation a few weeks back that test and reserve driver, Valtteri Bottas could be drafted in, either at the end of the 2012 season or more imminently, although that was rubbished by Williams shareholder Toto Wolff, who said such talk was lie.
“I know that I don’t need to win this year,” Senna told Globo Esporte according to SpeedTV.com. “I have to have consistency, score regularly, and have races that show a lot of potential.
“To win in F1, everything has to be right: the car has to be fast, you have to be in the right position, using the right tyres and have the strategy worked out well. All those variables are difficult to put together, and everybody in the team knows that.
“They are giving me the chance to learn this year so that next year I can be expected to be in a position to win a race.”
Senna also added that missing most of the the first practice sessions, when Bottas runs in his car, is also having a detrimental effect: “Pastor has been able to learn very well about the condition of his tyres. This all comes with experience, and it’s not something you can skip over,” Senna explained.
As for Canada next weekend, Senna is hopeful they will have ‘good pace’: “Canada is one of the most challenging tracks of the season. It is a combination of a street circuit and a normal fixed circuit with a mixture of very fast, long straights and tight slow corners with heavy braking,” he continued.
“It is also important to have as much track time as possible before the weekend to learn the track surface because it can evolve quickly.
“Our car is looking competitive at this stage of the season so hopefully we can show good pace there.”
source: © crash.net
