Valtteri Bottas has revealed that Lewis Hamilton was given a 'different spec' car by Mercedes at the Qatar Grand Prix in order to aid his ongoing bid for Drivers' Championship glory. Lewis may not be the GOAT but Mercedes has to be THE GOAT team by some margin. With Guanyu Zhou taking the final seat left for the 2022 Formula 1 season at Alfa Romeo, incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi is out of a drive. Mercedes would have never let Bottas leave last year, because at the end of 2020 there was a possibility that Hamilton would not continue. I think he definitely has a future, though, because if I had to guess at a reason for his decline I’d go with mental – the realisation that hits all #2s to greats. But, I feel Williams would be a much more desirable destination for the flying Finn, and here's why… Of course, the preferred outcome for Bottas and his supporters would of course be remaining at Mercedes. He is set to join Alfa Romeo Racing for 2022. I don’t quite get this. I don’t think anyone can say for sure whether his raw pace has already fallen away from its peak, but he won’t be getting better and better at an age when biology starts to catch up with even the greatest drivers. Mercedes arrived in Qatar off the back of Lewis Hamilton’s stunning win in Brazil and it ended the first day of running on top at the Losail track. RP (@slotopen) 7th September 2021, 13:32. Wolff was fulsome in his praise of Bottas after his departure was announced, saying it “hasn’t been an easy process or a straightforward decision” and that “he would absolutely have deserved to stay with the team” had they kept him. We’re just viewing it from the outside and are picking up our jaws from the floor nearly every weekend. The latter . He should have been far more agressive that he was since he started his Mercedes days, like Rosberg did and take the fight to Hamilton no matter the WCC, but he always had a 1 year contract only so he would have been instantly dropped I guess. If you applied criteria that stringent to other F1 drivers, you would have to conclude that there have never been ANY all time greats in Formula 1. The ” valteri this is james ” message is programmed in the system by now. Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes to race for Alfa Romeo in 2022, paving the way for George Russell to join the world champions and partner Lewis . It’s crazy how much hype he has. I wonder how many commenters hold themselves to such high standards. Valtteri Bottas has revealed that Lewis Hamilton was given a 'different spec' car by Mercedes at the Qatar Grand Prix in order to aid his ongoing bid for Drivers' Championship glory. Exactly. Mercedes are not going to drop Bottas just yet. I have to agree with all of what you have said and I have a lot of respect for you and the rest of the folks here for being able to have a constructive debate without the usual fanaticism. It didn’t have the desired effect, as Bottas was beaten to pole position and victory by Verstappen while a still unwell Hamilton followed them home. Ricciardo this season, Hamilton in Mclaren, Hill in Arrows, Villeneuve in BAR, Raikkonen in Ferrari 2014- etc. My preferences for the 2nd Alfa are Gio and Shwartzman. For the first time, legendary F1 commentator Maurice Hamilton and award-winning photographers Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier bring the heroes of this iconic sport together, in a stunning photographic portrayal of the poise, skill and winning ... Published 08/15/2021, 7:00 AM EDT. Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here. Ferrari did the same with Raikkonen during those years, where is all the complaints for that? So it will be interesting to see how Mercedes make use of Russell next year. We can count on one hand the supposed ‘endless’ times Bottas was ordered to move over out of 5 full seasons, and they were because he wasn’t in contention for the title, or on a different strategy. The Brackley based team chose to replace him with 23 year old George Russell. #27. The Finn, who will leave Mercedes at the end of the year, is yet to win a race in 2021 and expects a close fight with Red Bull, despite Max Verstappen's and Sergio Perez's lack of pace in Friday practice. Maybe that possibility is what kept Bottas from looking in 2020. @tifoso1989 both Vettel and Hamilton ARE all-time greats. So Bottas, who was supposed to spend 2017 alongside rookie Lance Stroll, instead joined Hamilton and the reigning world champions. Why would Max do that, he's currently leading his team in a fight against Mercedes, and his team is winning, if he says I'm leaving, the demoralization could probably lose them the championship. Following news that Bottas would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year, Hamilton took to Instagram to pay tribute to the Finnish driver. Bottas critical of Mercedes after being left "a sitting duck" in France. Russell may be the next Marquez. With Bottas leading the race in Russia, Mercedes chiefs popped up on . We’re just viewing it from the outside and are picking up our jaws from the floor nearly every weekend. Perez has only been in the Redbull half a season and we’ve already seen him left out on some bizarre strategies in the hope of interfering with Merc, because Verstappen has outperformed him and therefore warrants the attention from the team. Answer (1 of 5): You need to make a distinction between why he was picked in the first place and why the team keeps him, with next year being the 4th season for him at Mercedes. The work of these scholars,monastic and secular, points towards a revival of Classical and literary scholarship in England long before Italian humanism and other traces of the continental Renaissance first found their way into the country. George has the potential ability to be a replacement for Lewis in the future, something Bottas has not shown even if he is a very good No.2. Following news that Bottas would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year, Hamilton took to Instagram to pay tribute to the Finnish driver. Is Valtteri Bottas leaving Mercedes or will he save the place beyond 2021? He acquitted himself well in 2017 when Mercedes, who crushed their rivals over the previous three seasons, suddenly found the competition much tougher. Add in the changes at the Abu Dhabi finale and Mercedes and Red Bull suddenly have plenty of additional hurdles to cover before one finally triumphs in 2021’s thrilling title fight. Russell will make it better than Bottas did tbh. The trouble is, Mercedes no longer need a number two driver, they now need a future number one driver, and George Russell is that man. That could definitely give you a good, full commitment to the team not just that year, but knowing that the work continues. Toto Wolff tried to downplay the Finn's expletive-filled radio rant in the French GP as a "great" thing because he is "finally letting something out". Except it turns out that good drivers are bad in the second RBR. âItâs almost like I had a bit of a responsibility to carry the team today.â. AMSTERDAM -. My prediction is…….er, its hard to think of anyone at the moment who isn’t contracted to Renault or Ferrari. Mercedes fou. Bottas on recovery: ‘What more can Mercedes ask?’, managed to execute plenty of overtakes and make his way into the top three come the end of the race. LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 This is my life, not the stuff you've seen, but the things you haven't. This is my childhood growing up in the West Country, my struggles, my doubts and my hopes. You have to feel for Bottas here. Ricciardo’s problem was his timing. But there’s a section of commenters here (hard to call them F1 fans) who live in some strange fantasy world where Lewis is a talentless driver whose achievements have only been possible by hobbling his teammates. Verstappen's third-quickest time was 0.350s slower than Bottas, while Hamilton was a further tenth away from his team-Mercedes mate. Where did it go wrong? Rob (@realnigelmansell) 6th September 2021, 16:40, Wouldn’t make a huge difference but would interesting to see these numbers if you factored out team orders. OPINION: The FIA's decision not to investigate Max Verstappen for his move to repel Lewis Hamilton's challenge for the lead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which resulted in both going off the track, has become the latest polarised incident in the dramatic 2021 Formula 1 title battle. This was a clear indication Mercedes were weighing their options for the future, though Toto Wolff made it plain from the outset there would be no change to their intended line-up for 2021. It needs to be exciting. Bottas will be hit by fame and claim Mercedes always had him contracted as a #2 in a vastly inferior car, but now he has finally shown everyone what he always knew – that he is the GOAT. While Mercedes denied that race tipped the scales in Russell’s favour, it clearly prompted discussions relating to how Bottas might improve his performance, for from the very next race Wolff took the rare step of appearing on the radio to offer him words of encouragement. Senna did a lot for Brazil, Prost gave a seat for Alesi, Trulli and Heidfeld. He admitted he was targeting a podium finish from Sunday’s race but managed to execute plenty of overtakes and make his way into the top three come the end of the race – and knows he left nothing on the table at Monza. lol, i’m not. At some point, especially in the seasons 17/18 when Ferrari where a threat, you just have to put your eggs in one basket. “Amazed the graphs don’t show more in favor of Hamilton given the endless times Bottas was ordered to move over”. © 2021 Collantine Media Ltd | About RaceFans. Although Zhou's backing has helped sweeten the deal, Giovinazzi's F1 form has stagnated throughout his three years in the championship. 'I'm no angel. He may be leaving at the end of the season, but Valtteri Bottas isn't being blocked from any Mercedes meetings as far as he's aware. Click to expand. Lewis had a coach of sorts at Mercedes in Niki Lauda and still does in Angela. If Marc Marquez doesn’t bounce back to his old self, will people not consider him a legend? hunocsi (@hunocsi) 6th September 2021, 15:23. But Bottas took advantage of their slipstream at the start, swept past Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and duly chalked up his first win. Bottas is likely to be Mercedes' lead driver on Sunday because of Hamilton's 10-grid place penalty for a new Internal Combustion Engine. George Russell’s job in the first year will be to support Hamilton in winning his 8th title…..if he hasn’t already won it in 2021. Jere (@jerejj) 6th September 2021, 14:46. Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time in the second practice session of the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, ahead of AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in P3. He would have benefitted greatly from a good coach who could have brought him from 80% of points to 90% or closer in the 2nd or 3rd seasons. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives, How Hamilton dominated in Qatar despite missing a key Mercedes advantage, There was simply no stopping Lewis Hamilton on Formula 1's first visit to Qatar. Still it is a different situation driving a winning car well than driving a middfield car. When Valtteri Bottas was asked if his excellent work at the weekend was “bitter-sweet” as he knows he is leaving Mercedes, his response was withering. Good article. Bottas winning poles and races is a job well done. Earlier this year, Mercedes announced that the Finnish driver would be leaving them at the end of the year. In order to claim this fantastic discount, click the following link and use the promo code PLANETF10 at checkout! It's confirmed that Russell to Mercedes. No one has told me this at all," said the Finn in the run-up to the Grand Prix of France. Bottas Claims He'd Already Made Up His Mind To Leave Mercedes Earlier This Season. Let’s stop throwing shade at Bottas. Whatever frustration Bottas may have felt about that situation he largely kept under his hat until yesterday, when he gave the team a scare by coming close to taking the bonus point for fastest lap away from Hamilton when he had been specifically told not to. ryanoceros (@ryanoceros) 7th September 2021, 0:46. After . The things Lewis has done defy logic on track and I think that’s what his team thinks who built the car. Him being out of a racing for one full year mad him miss out on a 2020 seat. Five years on, Bottas’ stint at Mercedes is coming to an end, as has been on the cards for some time. However we must allow for the fact that he’s had to play the ‘number two’ role far more than previously as Hamilton has faced his stiffest title fight to date. Ocon was available at multiple points. Russell may be the next Marquez. On the face of it some might ask why Mercedes has taken so long to make a change. Featuring a rare interview with Prost, and insight from Martin Brundle, Damon Hill, Sir Frank Williams, Bernie Ecclestone, Derek Warrick, Johnny Herbert, Gerhard Berger, plus McLaren insiders and other F1 figures, Malcolm Folley provides us ... We need Albon to go to Alfa Romeo to measure Lewis vs Max. He’s contributed a respectable 41% of Mercedes’ points as team mate to Hamilton. They need to train up and cultivate their next world champion whilst he can still . Again, can’t see any complaints from any commenters on here about that. @hunocsi I think it was unfair for anyone to join Lewis at that point. F1 frog (@f1frog) 6th September 2021, 17:56. “I think those are really the main things I'm looking for. Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes to race for Alfa Romeo in 2022, paving the way for George Russell to join the world champions and partner Lewis Hamilton next year.. The benefits resulting from F1's growing Middle Eastern influence, Formula 1’s expansion into new territories hasn’t been greeted with uniform positivity but, says BEN EDWARDS, the Middle East and Africa represent important new territory for motorsport - and the benefits are already starting to emerge, The principles at stake in the Verstappen/Hamilton Turn 4 clash. RP (@slotopen) 7th September 2021, 12:49. They both deserve a huge respect but driving is just one part of the show. âIâm happy we could walk away from a weekend like this with so many issues, at least for me, still with more points than Red Bull. So while Hamilton is there, Russell will just be a loyal wing man – once Hamilton goes the whole Merc focus will be on Russell supported by another handy-but-nothing-spectacular driver – like Rosberg was meant to be but ruined things. But it would do Bottas a disservice to argue this is what Mercedes should have done. The Finn's departure from Mercedes has been expected for some weeks . Like the teams don’t use coded messages over heavily monitored airwaves. Date published: October 12 2021 - Finley Crebolder. Bottas, who had previously spent four years at Williams between 2013 and 2016, said that a multi-year contract reaching beyond 2022 would be something good to secure as well - as being part of a challenging and exciting project. In 2020 Bottas often led but seldom wonThat was starkly illustrated last year, where the threat to Mercedes from their competition receded, yet Bottas was nowhere in the title fight with his team mate.
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