Valtteri Bottas backs Williams F1 team's stance on team orders

Massa lost fifth to Bottas in their late dice at Sepang, which included near-contact at the first corner and ended when the Finn pulled off an outside-line move on the Brazilian through the long, fast Turn 5 on the penultimate lap.

Williams was involved in a team orders controversy at the same event last year when Massa declined to follow a request to let Bottas past to attack Jenson Button's McLaren for sixth.

But this year it allowed them to resolve their battle between themselves.

"It was really good to get the green light from the team to allow us to race," said Bottas.

"It was hard and fair. In the end there was no contact.

"In any situation, I think they can trust us that we can race hard but fair. That is nice."

Williams's performance chief Rob Smedley said it would be wrong to put limits on intra-team racing.

"We are not going to stop them racing," he said.

"It has to be clean, they have to not jeopardise any points for the team, but they are two great drivers, two professional drivers.

"They give each other a lot of respect and just enough room to race.

"It was good wheel to wheel racing, it's good for Formula 1 and we're not going to stop them doing it."

Massa said he had raced Bottas more carefully as they were team-mates, but he felt he had little chance of retaining his position anyway.

"I tried to fight but I had two laps older tyres than him," he said.

"I was fighting to keep my position but I had no tyres to fight.

"We race but you have to take care because if you have two cars out on the last lap of the race it would be not nice."

COMMENT: Ex-F1 designer GARY ANDERSON on the Williams battle: "The team allowed Valtteri Bottas to challenge and overtake Felipe Massa on the last lap of the race.

"That is criminal because they had everything to lose and nothing to gain, as fifth and sixth were assured.

"I am a Bottas fan but it was only Massa's experience that ensured they didn't both end up in the gravel trap."