Toto Wolff, the Mercedes AMG team principal made it obvious that their Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas will have the full team support. Wolff opened up about the rumours going on about the possible replacement of Valtteri by Willams’ George Russell.
The rumours started popping up as the Finnish has been falling short of the expectations regarding him at the Silver Arrows. The team expects more from Bottas and some signs are clear of this.
On the other hand George has been performing brilliantly in the underperforming Williams car and there are rumours the Briton might replace the Finn at the Silverstone.
Late issues with a sensor cost him a chance to fight for P2. But leaving with strong points and fastest lap! 👊 @ValtteriBottas #PortugueseGP pic.twitter.com/yH6x9a9ajq
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 2, 2021
The 49-year-old boss conveyed in an interview regarding this, “Valtteri will be on top form. When you consider where he came from following Imola, which was a write-off, he put it on pole in Portugal and had a solid race. We will push him hard, continue to support him and see what he is capable of doing in Barcelona.”
Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes AMG F1 and George Russell of Williams Racing F1 had a massive crash at the Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Sunday, April 18, 2021. (Image courtesy: Getty Images/Formula 1)
Adding on, Russell replaced Covid-struck Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in Sakhir last season and impressed everyone from the fans to the Mercedes team management.
During the second race at Imola, Bottas clashed with Williams’s Russell and both of them crashed out of the race. The Finnish driver managed to pick up two podiums out of three races as of now.
Valtteri was in pole position in final Qualification at the recently concluded Portuguese Grand Prix and managed to pick up his second podium place. Finishing in P3 and picking up 16 points in Portugal took him to P4 in driver’s standings this season.
It’s race week again 💥#VB77 #F1 #SpanishGP @MercedesAMGF1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/6eIq5ykJ37
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) May 3, 2021
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen potentially replaced Valtteri as the title contender alongside Lewis Hamilton. However, the Mercedes team management expects Bottas to fire up once again in the upcoming Catalunya Circuit.
