F1 | Mercedes, Wolff: “We believe in Bottas”

Mercedes is more convinced than ever of its choice. This is what emerges from recent statements by Toto wolff, increasingly happy to have chosen Valtteri Bottas as a replacement for world champion Nico Rosberg.

Many have criticized the leaders of the silver arrows for bringing into the team a rider who has never won a race, but Wollf's confidence in this regard is really strong: "We believe in him – we read in the Corriere dello Sport – he contested 77 races with Williams and took home 9 podiums. He has grown enough to take Rosberg's place."

His profile is in some ways very similar to that of the outgoing world champion: “Both have won a lot in the minor categories and both have gained experience in Williams where they performed well but were never able to win due to the car's fault. ”.

The Finnish driver is penalized by a one-year contract and a renewal that will depend on numerous factors: “He will have to be fast – admitted Wolff – but he will also have to integrate perfectly with the team, but I have no doubt that he will make it. We want to see both him and Hamilton push each other to do better as has already happened in the past in our team."

Manuel Lai