Mercedes has confirmed that it will field Valtteri Bottas once more in 2020, after the Finn was given the nod over Esteban Ocon; was it the right call? Motorsport Week takes a look a the situation.
Barring an improbable retirement or unfortunate occurrence, Mercedes will enter 2020 – probably as reigning World Champions again – with an unchanged driver line-up.
It will mark the fourth straight season in which Lewis Hamilton is partnered by Valtteri Bottas, who took up the vacancy at Mercedes in the wake of Nico Rosberg’s shock departure.
For Mercedes that continuity is their best bet of extending a (likely) sixth straight championship into a streak of seven, as they attempt to rack up more records and add to the burgeoning trophy collection courtesy of the work undertaken at Brackley and Brixworth.
On pure statistics Bottas has undoubtedly been shaded by Hamilton during their two-and-a-half-year partnership. Hamilton has two titles to Bottas’ none, 28 wins to Bottas’ five, while the Finn has placed third and fifth respectively in the standings.
But that is not necessarily a total disgrace considering Hamilton’s calibre, with the Briton increasingly staking his claim to be regarded as the greatest of all.
This year has also been a far stronger show from Bottas’ perspective, albeit with his prospects substantially dented by his mistakes in successive grands prix prior to the summer break. Bottas bounced back from a dismally disappointing 2018 in confident fashion, famously winning in Australia, proving to Mercedes that he had the mental fortitude to recover from such a low ebb, having appeared a broken man towards the end of last season. His four pole positions leaves him level with Hamilton and while he is 62 points adrift, it is only the last two races in Germany and Hungary that have truly left him on the back foot.
Perhaps more importantly from Mercedes’ perspective – though no driver would want to regard this is a personal positive – is that Bottas’ attitude has not upset the other side of the garage. With Bottas as a sidekick, Hamilton has found another level. Whether Hamilton would have uncovered that level without Bottas as a team-mate is open to debate. Stability, team morale, and a strong driver line-up is craved by any team and considering the manner in which 2019 has unfolded there is little need for Mercedes to change. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The only other realistic candidate was Esteban Ocon, but to parachute the youngster in after missing a season – and alongside Hamilton – represented a risk that Mercedes did not need to take. Perhaps long-term, given the decisions made by Ferrari (in recruiting Charles Leclerc) and Red Bull (in having faith in Max Verstappen), the move to pass on a youngster it holds in high regard for 2020 will backfire on Mercedes, but for now Bottas is the logical choice. He is only 30, giving Mercedes plenty of time to find the next talent. It could yet wind up with Ocon in the future, and it also has George Russell under contract.
"For 2019, we set Valtteri the challenge of coming back even stronger than we saw him in the first part of 2018 – and he has achieved that, with some really impressive performances in the early races this year," said team boss Toto Wolff. "Although it has been his most successful first half of a championship so far, he is hungry for more and determined to keep on improving and raising his level. That's the mindset we want from all our team members.
"The results we have achieved together with Valtteri are no coincidence: he has been an integral part of our championship success in the past two seasons, his teamwork with Lewis has been exemplary and he has shown real strength of character in how he has responded to setbacks. I'm delighted that he will stay with the team for another season at least – and look forward to seeing him raise the bar even further."
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