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“If not me, then Lewis Hamilton”




Bottas picked up his first win at the Turkish Grand Prix. Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images


Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas has seen something of a renaissance since his future at Alfa Romeo was secured. He overtook the Brit in Monza and looked like the faster driver in Russia. He secured victory at the Turkish Grand Prix, but after Hamilton had to start from eleven on the grid.

After the race, Bottas revealed an interesting point of view. He felt like he continued to focus on making the most of things as he still had a math chance of the title and he pushed hard to make it a reality. In an interview with Motorsport.com, Bottas said:

“In theory I still have a chance. But if I can’t be champion, then let Lewis be.”

Since Bottas is already 110.5 points behind Max Verstappen, it is safe to say that his aspirations for the title are a little optimistic. More importantly, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton need every ounce of support Bottas can muster over the next six races.

With only six races left, Mercedes looks like the favorites, not least thanks to the increase in performance. Hamilton would more than welcome Bottas to act as a bottleneck between him and Max when the opportunity presents itself to increase the buffer for the Red Bull driver.

Is Lewis Hamilton the title favorite?

Looking back on the last 99 …


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still can’t believe it. THANK YOU


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Looking back on the last 99 …


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still can’t believe it. THANK YOU


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https://t.co/tPAPxZeicZ

Relative competitiveness has changed since the summer break. Mercedes appears to have taken an extra step in terms of speed on the straights and enjoyed an advantage over Red Bull on most of the tracks.

This was more than evident at the Turkish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was still one of the fastest drivers on the grid in terms of speed on the straight, despite a higher downforce setup.

Even Red Bull’s head of driver development, Helmut Marko, has openly stated that Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will be absolute favorites on at least four of the six remaining tracks.

Hamilton himself is not too far behind Max Verstappen in terms of points. With no further engine-related penalties in sight, it will be a direct fight between the two men. And although Hamilton and Mercedes seem to have the upper hand, it won’t be easy to predict who will come out on top among the two best drivers on the grid.

Edited by Sandeep Banerjee

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The post “If not me, then Lewis Hamilton” first appeared on monter-une-startup.