Senna says run to sixth in Malaysia eases pressure on himself and Williams

The Brazilian bounced back from an opening lap collision with team-mate Pastor Maldonado to deliver the best result of his career, and help ensure Williams has now scored more points than it did all of last season.

"Having a good result in a good position takes some of the weight off your shoulders," he explained. "I wanted to do well for these guys and I think everyone is happy because all the work from this last year to this year is paying off.

"It will keep them motivated to keep pushing for the car to improve and I can improve myself."

Senna also believes that having shown he can deliver in tricky race conditions will silence the critics who have claimed he only secured the drive at Williams because of his sponsorship backing.

"There will always be critics and I know that there were people criticising us," he explained. "You are never going to please everybody and for sure, having a strong result will take some wind out of the critics' sails.

"And hopefully we can make sure we keep on having strong results and show that I deserve my place here."