F1 | Merhi: “Bottas is more talented than Rosberg”

The match between Bottas and Hamilton will not be an obvious challenge as many might think. To reveal it Roberto Mehri, convinced that the Finn has more talent than the defending champion Nico Rosberg.

Mehri, a former Manor pilot, was confronted with Bottas in 2008 at the time of Formula Renault and had the opportunity to verify all his innumerable abilities.

“I'm sure that Bottas is more talented than Rosberg – he told Cadena Cope radio – of course, Rosberg managed to win a title and is a hard worker, but I think Bottas has an innate talent and I really believe he has the chances to fight with Hamilton."

According to the Spaniard, the newcomer will immediately feel at ease in the cockpit of the Mercedes: “Even if it doesn't seem like it, it's also his home. He was already a Mercedes driver when he raced in Formula 3 and has been managed by Toto Wolff since 2007."

Despite this, Merhi still said he was perplexed by the choice of the Finn instead of the much younger and more popular one pascal wehrlein.

“Maybe they chose him only because Toto Wolff is his manager – he said – especially if we consider the fact that Bottas has never been 100% in the Mercedes driver program. Personally I thought they would choose Wehrlein. It seems more like Toto Wolff's development program than Mercedes'.

Manuel Lai