VALTTERI Bottas hailed one of his best races as Williams’s one-stop strategy paid off with their first Formula 1 podium of the season.

The Finn, who qualified seventh for the Grove-based team, came home third at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Key to the result was the decision to change tyres just once, while the majority of the field came in twice.

Bottas, whose last top-three finish came in Mexico nine races ago, felt it would go down as one of his finest drives.

He said: “This gives us a big motivation boost for the next few races.

“I think it shows that we are a strong team who can deliver good results.

“Our strategy was great and our pit-stop was really good, yet again. It was definitely one of my best races.”

The only sour note for Williams was they were not celebrating a strong double points finish, with Felipe Massa forced to retire midway through the race in Montreal.

Rob Smedley, the team’s head of performance engineering, said: “Felipe would have finished anywhere from fourth to sixth so that’s a lot of points we’ve lost there with the water system issue that caused the temperatures to rise.”

Another driver who did not see the chequered flag was Britain’s Jolyon Palmer.

A water leak forced him to retire his Lotus on lap 17.

But it came after an eventful start and the rookie, who is based at Enstone, is hoping this weekend’s European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan brings a change of fortune.

He said: “I was feeling good with the car out there even though it was cold and slippery.

“I received some contact from Carlos Sainz on the first lap then I was stuck behind one of the Manors early on, but once I was in clean air my pace felt good.

“I’m happy with the car so I’m looking forward to Baku.

“Certainly a little bit of luck wouldn’t go amiss too.”

Banbury’s Haas team got both cars home, but 13th and 14th place finishes left them wanting more.

Romain Grosjean said: “I’m sure the next race will be another step, and if we learn more, the better we’ll get.”