If Valtteri Bottas loses the Mercedes F1 seat, blame Imola

If Valtteri Bottas loses his Formula 1 drive at Mercedes at the end of the season and wonders why, he doesn’t have to look any further than the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.

Bottas ‘race at Imola ended on lap 32 of the 63-lap race when he made contact with Williams’ George Russell. The massive fall while the riders were uninjured resulted in a little finger pointing and led both riders out of the race. It brought Bottas back to fifth overall and one step closer to losing his drive at Mercedes.

And in a variant made for Hollywood, Bottas was kicked out of the race in Imola by the driver who will probably replace him at Mercedes next year.

“I’m physically okay,” said Bottas. “It was a reasonably decent shunt, but obviously could have been a lot worse at this speed. George got closer and decided to move. Obviously the track is pretty narrow, there is only one dry line and he went outside. There was that Room for two cars all the time, but he obviously lost the car and hit me. “

Russell got out of his car after the accident, went to Bottas’ Mercedes and said a few things to Bottas before Bottas could even squeeze out of his damaged car. Bottas greeted the discussion with one finger.

Valtteri Bottas did not have a good weekend in Imola.

Peter FoxGetty Images

“I haven’t spoken to him yet,” said Bottas. “I couldn’t hear what he was talking about and of course we will have a different perspective. Until then it was a tough race, from where I started it wasn’t easy to make up ground. But I have to take it. ” Whatever I can be positive and move on from this weekend onwards. “

Bottas has been with Mercedes since 2017 as the perfect number 2 to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. During this time, Bottas has won nine races and finished in third, fifth, two and two in the F1 drivers’ championship this season. Second place was seen as good enough for Bottas, 31, to keep his seat for the past two seasons, despite the pressure the team had in the past off-season to speed up the schedule and become the future No. 1 of the Teams bring 1 driver into Russell.

Russell, 23, proved to many over the past season that he is ready for promotion to Mercedes when he starred in a late-season race in Bahrain. There he led 59 of 87 laps in a replacement role for Hamilton, who missed the race due to COVID-19 logs. Only one failed tire change kept Russell from racing for victory.

Now, four months and only three F1 races later, it was Russell who threw Bottas out of the race and possibly out of his soft, if admittedly narrow, racing seat at Mercedes.

“I think it was a very unfortunate incident that could have been avoided,” said Russell. “Valtteri defended hard and he has the right to do it. The track went left and he went straight. In these dry line conditions it only had one result. It’s frustrating, but that’s Formula One.”

Don’t be surprised if George Russell drives for Mercedes in 2022.

Clive Mason – Formula 1Getty Images

Sure, it was just one race at the start of a long season, but it was huge for Bottas. Should Bottas not finish first or second in the overall standings in 2021, this would make the change for 2022 much easier for Mercedes. Third place won’t be good enough and Hamilton and Verstappen are threatened to flee the field. Second place already seems out of reach.

After all, if Bottas falls in the overall standings, it is much easier to justify taking Bottas away from Mercedes believers. Meanwhile, Russell’s stock rises every time he rides alongside Bottas.

Bottas left Imola with only 16 points in fifth place in the drivers’ championship. He follows not only Hamilton (44 points) and Verstappen (43 points), but also McLaren’s Lando Norris (27) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (20). It’s not very Mercedes-like.

“Unfortunately, the crash between George and Valtteri was unnecessary,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. “Valtteri had tough times on the first 30 laps and shouldn’t have been there, but George should never have started this maneuver. Considering the track is drying up. It meant taking risks and the other car is a Mercedes in front of him And in the development of any driver as a young driver you should never lose that global perspective. I think there is a lot to learn for him. “

And don’t be surprised if Russell learns at Mercedes next year.

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