Valtteri Bottas
Toto Wolff has admitted he’s made a decision about who will work with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in Formula 1 next season, but he wasn’t ready to get the news out.
Valtteri Bottas and George Russell are on the drive, and nobody wants to get involved when asked about the situation on Thursday.
In a nutshell on Saturday in Spa-Francorchamps, when asked whether he had made a decision about the driver line-up for his team in 2022, Mercedes team boss Wolff only answered with “yes”.
Wolff’s answer came after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, a session in which Russell put his Williams in second place.
The young Brit is seen by many as a long-term replacement for Lewis Hamilton and thus an aggressive option for Mercedes.
Bottas offers a well-known crowd, however, and has helped bring the roster four Constructors’ championships since joining the brand in 2017.
The Finn has also been linked with a move to Williams, a direct move for Russell, along with moves to other teams.
Wolff’s exact decision remains unclear, though he added that Russell’s performance on Saturday was not factored into the equation.
“Today makes no difference,” he said.
“We know what we have with George; He was great in the junior categories, he was great at Williams, he was great when he was with us in Bahrain.
“If I needed this ultimate evidence, something would be amiss,” he added
“But the decision also takes other factors into account and therefore [it has not been announced]. “
The seat next to Hamilton is the most competitive of those available in Formula 1.
Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine have all confirmed their drivers for 2022, while Aston Martin and Haas are expected to confirm unchanged pairings in the coming weeks.
That leaves only Williams and Sauber with potential seats, with the latter potentially having two vacancies with Kimi Raikkonen to decide if he wants to continue and Antonio Giovinazzi upon announcement.
Should Russell move the Mercedes, Williams will have at least one trip, although Nicholas Latifi in the second car has no guarantees.
Callum Ilott has been heavily linked to a drive at Sauber, while Nyck de Vries is solidifying as a favorite for Williams.
Since Bottas or Russell occupy one of the two remaining seats, it leaves little space for greats such as Latifi, Giovinazzi, Oscar Piastri and Guanyu Zhou.
At Mercedes, Wolff admitted that the future of the two drivers was a consideration when making the decision.
“If it had been an easy decision, we would have made it sooner because we know what we have with Valtteri and we know what we have with George,” he explained.
“Both deserve the best possible care, because both belong to the family and we hold them up.
“As with any driver line-up, there are advantages and disadvantages, and in the end there is no perfect discussion.
“We just have to master the situation with the driver who is not in a Mercedes next year and ensure an exciting program.”
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