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Williams driver Felipe Massa says the big upgrade planned for the Austrian Grand Prix is a crucial opportunity to increase the pressure on Formula 1 rival Ferrari.

Valtteri Bottas scored Williams's first podium of 2015 in third, beating both Ferraris despite the Scuderia introducing an engine upgrade, while Massa came through from 15th to sixth after a power loss in qualifying.

With the prospect of Williams's biggest upgrade of the season at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, Massa has sent out a rallying call to his team to close the 76-point gap to Ferrari.

"Looking at the upgrades on the [Ferrari] engine the difference [to Mercedes] is still similar and I think it shows that we can still fight at the front," said Massa.

"I think the team is going in a good line. It's an important moment for us: we have a good track for us in Austria with some upgrades.

"So I think it's an important moment for us to put some pressure on Ferrari.

"I don't know when Mercedes will put some upgrades on the engine maybe when they do we can get stronger in that area."

Aside from a blip in Monaco, on a track that did not suit its car, Williams has improved at every race this season, with the updates it brings to the track working as expected.

Performance chief Rob Smedley was pleased Williams managed the gap to Ferrari in Montreal despite the Scuderia's engine boost but said the team still needs to speed up its rate of development.

"Ferrari brought their new engine package and we still managed to do a pretty good job against them," said Smedley.

"I do see it as a much more of an evolutionary process than a big step. That evolution will continue and it is continuing.

"Our biggest job is to understand how to make step changes or improve that rate of evolution rather than thinking we have to do something totally different."