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Lewis Hamilton 's two – year contract extension with Mercedes was still in the news when the reigning world champions decided to put an end to the suspense and to announce the obvious – an extension of time. one year for Valtteri Bottas. After all, the Formula 1 summer holidays are less than 10 days away and Mercedes' intention seems clear – focus on the race by keeping speculation out of the drivers, and of course, be well prepared for a busy first half of the season. In intense title fights with Ferrari, stability for 2019 is the best way to stay engaged and motivated for the remaining 11 races.
Mercedes Valtteri Bottas after a test session. Reuters
Bottas – No Grand Prix yet
After a difficult start to the season for Bottas (he crashed during the qualifying session in Australia), the Finn has met expectations. In fact, if luck had been on his side, Bottas could have been at the heart of the fight for the title – a fight that could very well take place between Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.
In this hybrid-turbo era, it's normal The Mercedes driver expects to be himself in the title fight. Bottas' bad luck in China, Azerbaijan and Austria cost him a lot of points; One of the main reasons he is still fifth in the drivers championship and 67 points drifting Vettel. Surprisingly, among the top six riders, Bottas and compatriot Kimi Raikkonen are the only two riders to have won another race this season.
In theory, if Bottas' season had gone as planned, he would have scored points. , which makes the title fight of the drivers a three-way fight and probably a bit more of a headache for Mercedes. After losing points in Hamilton Australia, Bottas dominated his world champion teammate in Bahrain and China and suffered a puncture while he was leading in Azerbaijan. In Spain and Monaco, Hamilton scored more, while Bottas moved ahead in Canada. However, would Mercedes be able to seriously support Bottas 'offer for the Drivers' Championship title?
Pen – #Finland @ValtteriBottas secured 3 #GrandPrix wins, 5 pole positions, 17 podiums and more than 400 @ F1 World #Championship points since I joined @ MercedesAMGF1 in 2017. # GermanGP #Mercedes #BottalAdsAdvertisements #Bottas [19659013] pic.twitter.com/SCHyzyxWig
– Mobil 1 The Grid (@ Mobil1TheGrid) July 20, 2018
Bottas at Mercedes
History has shown that it's not unlike Mercedes to support their two drivers for the title in the same season. In fact, it is always an added advantage for a team when both drivers are also able to challenge the championship drivers. However, in the case of Mercedes, one could badume that the German team would rely a little more on its superstar driver Hamilton to meet a challenge that will last the entire season.
In the case of Bottas, his consistency in awarding big points would definitely help the Mercedes bid for the constructors' championship. It's at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix (there are only two races) that Mercedes lost Ferrari's lead in the constructors' championship.
In Bottas, Mercedes also has a team player who is apolitical. The rivalry of Nico Rosberg-Hamilton and the tension created for Mercedes have been well reported. At the time, the fight against Mercedes was internal – they were their only competition. Now that Ferrari has caught up and Red Bull Racing is doing its best to join the title fight, Mercedes would be eager to reduce internal friction and attack his opponents as one force.
In addition, a one – year extension a second indicates that Mercedes is ready to see until Bottas progresses in the team and on the right track. His performances so far deserve a one year extension, but Bottas will have to deliver special results when he expects an extra extension for 2020; especially considering the stiff competition he's facing his rivals. The optional second year is a good Mercedes decision – one that allows them to change drivers, in case the need would make them feel and maybe just right.
Ricciardo and Ocon – Other Potentials
One would like to believe Mercedes would have examined their options before accepting the extension of Bottas. The obvious names that would have made the round are those of the pilot of Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo and their own junior pilot and current star of Force India, Esteban Ocon. In the case of Ricciardo, the Australian surpbaded the weight of his Red Bull Racing-Renault package during the first half of the season to force Ferrari and Mercedes to consider hiring him
. way to a possible hiring at Mercedes? Could a Ricciardo-Hamilton rivalry explode in Mercedes' face as Rosberg-Hamilton had done? In the case of Ocon, the Frenchman delivered the goods to Force India and Mercedes is trying to marry him as Hamilton's successor. For 2019, there are rumors that Renault has agreed with Ocon to join his work team, while leaving a position at Force India for Lance Stroll or the other Mercedes junior driver and current leader of the Formula Championship 2, George Russell. Yes, that's why this is called the idiotic pilot season
The silly season gets darker
The Renault line-up of 2019 could be Nico Hulkenberg and Ocon, letting Carlos Sainz Jr move to Red Bull Racing (if Ricciardo moves to Ferrari alongside Vettel) or McLaren alongside Fernando Alonso. That's if the former world champion decides to keep running in Formula 1, of course.
Other rumors include Sergio Perez, partner of Kevin Magnussen at Haas, forcing Romain Grosjean to look for a job elsewhere. Raikkonen, who has had his best form for several seasons, is eager to continue in Formula 1 and is looking for support from Ferrari to exchange seats with Charles Leclerc at Sauber, if Ferrari intends to propose a promotion to Leclerc dream. This means that even if the best teams keep the same drivers, there is a good chance that the midfield teams can offer a big change in the list of drivers for 2019.
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