Should Bottas contract be extended?

[Jezza13]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

[TheGiantHogweed]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

This is just what I think. Bottas has never crashed out of a race before in his entire career, and given the number of others that retired that race, it likely won't be judged as a reason to get rid of him. Looking at his performance in the race, he kept it more clean than most without any spins for the majority of the race. Then this latest race was likely to result in 5th or 4th or a slim chance of a podium had it not been for Leclerc. I think mercedes won't base everything on these 2 races. Some people are way too influenced by the way toto made it sound. Bottas has still overall been very good this year. Just not close to Hamilton. But who else who is an option would be?

[JN23]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

[Option or Prime]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

I know that when referring to Hungary he said, "It won't be decided on one race". Any good?

[JN23]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

I know that when referring to Hungary he said, "It won't be decided on one race". Any good?

I was just curious because we've heard a lot about these two races but not actually heard the words from Wolff's mouth.

[shoot999]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

I think it was more that he was asked two races ago and said the the decision wont come before the next two races/summer break.

[mcdo]

Is Hulk really thought to be on par with Perez? Ouch. I consider him to be substantially better than Perez.

They were teammates for three seasons at Force India. I think there's plenty of proof that Hulk is pretty much equal with Perez or very slightly better.

I think qualifying was the only barometer Hulkenberg was ahead of Perez. Otherwise Perez won this battle outright. Sergio was ahead on the points table 2 v 1; scored more points over their time together and showed up on the podium 4 times

There's certainly no evidence to support Todd's claim that Hulk is substantially better

[mikeyg123]

Is Hulk really thought to be on par with Perez? Ouch. I consider him to be substantially better than Perez.

They were teammates for three seasons at Force India. I think there's plenty of proof that Hulk is pretty much equal with Perez or very slightly better.

I think qualifying was the only barometer Hulkenberg was ahead of Perez. Otherwise Perez won this battle outright. Sergio was ahead on the points table 2 v 1; scored more points over their time together and showed up on the podium 4 times

There's certainly no evidence to support Todd's claim that Hulk is substantially better

Hulkenberg probably slightly quicker but Perez the much more consistent and the better points scorer.

[tootsie323]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

I think it was more that he was asked two races ago and said the the decision wont come before the next two races/summer break.

... and the press decided to translate that their way. I'm convinced that Wolff is not specifically looking that the last two races, simply on the basis that he is far from stupid.

[pokerman]

Is Hulk really thought to be on par with Perez? Ouch. I consider him to be substantially better than Perez.

They were teammates for three seasons at Force India. I think there's plenty of proof that Hulk is pretty much equal with Perez or very slightly better.

I think qualifying was the only barometer Hulkenberg was ahead of Perez. Otherwise Perez won this battle outright. Sergio was ahead on the points table 2 v 1; scored more points over their time together and showed up on the podium 4 times

There's certainly no evidence to support Todd's claim that Hulk is substantially better

No indeed, another measure was that the head to head was equal every season, I would say they were closely matched, Hulk the better qualifier whilst Perez could bring home the occasional big result that would weight the points in his favour.

[pokerman]

Has Wolff publically said Bottas' future would be decided on the last two races or is it just media reports?

I think it was more that he was asked two races ago and said the the decision wont come before the next two races/summer break.

... and the press decided to translate that their way. I'm convinced that Wolff is not specifically looking that the last two races, simply on the basis that he is far from stupid.

The trouble is that it's human nature to be influenced by the latest results, if it was 50/50 before the last 2 races then what happened in those races could well tilt things against Bottas?

[UnlikeUday]

Michael Masi said after viewing the footage from Chopper Cam, it was Bottas that hit Leclerc & not vice versa as it seemed. If this is true, he hit Hamilton before as well. He made 2 contacts with his front wing & Hamilton could've easily gotten a puncture & his race could've ended even.

The 2 contacts did look a little clumsy. All this before the summer break ain't going to do Bottas any favours.

[ReservoirDog]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

[JN23]

Michael Masi said after viewing the footage from Chopper Cam, it was Bottas that hit Leclerc & not vice versa as it seemed. If this is true, he hit Hamilton before as well. He made 2 contacts with his front wing & Hamilton could've easily gotten a puncture & his race could've ended even.

The 2 contacts did look a little clumsy. All this before the summer break ain't going to do Bottas any favours.

I read the bit about the heli cam so I had a look. To me it looked like a racing incident tbh.

[TheGiantHogweed]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

[ReservoirDog]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

"He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by" Fighting words from a guy who started the season trying to beat the best driver of the generation. Why not just stay home in his PJs? He finally got a chance to beat Lewis, and he says he'd rather just play safe and trundle home in 3rd place.

And now Stroll in a midfield car is a match for the Mercedes.

I am actually going to give up on replying to you. What are you even trying to say?

[TheGiantHogweed]

It's assumed the last 2 races were like a barometer to judge his 2020 seat, Bottas had his worst 2 races during this period as a stark coincidence. I know Wolff said his overall results would matter but the last 2 races before the crucial summer break (where contracts are either signed or torn) were Bottas' worst!

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

"He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by" Fighting words from a guy who started the season trying to beat the best driver of the generation. Why not just stay home in his PJs? He finally got a chance to beat Lewis, and he says he'd rather just play safe and trundle home in 3rd place.

And now Stroll in a midfield car is a match for the Mercedes.

I am actually going to give up on replying to you. What are you even trying to say?

You are being a bit unreasonable here. Bottas DID NOT SAY that he'd rather do what i mentioned. He simply said that he could have done that. He and the team will have wanted to get better, so he tried but it unfortunately went wrong. This was only his afterthoughts at the end of the race - after he had retired. He won't have meant that without the team telling him to push, that he will have chosen to trundle home...

The Stroll comment, you are being unreasonable about too. Look at Stroll's wet drives. He has a couple of times now been outstanding in the wet (or at least well above his usual level). You say in the comment that you won't bother replying to me, it seems like you don't read it. I did not say Stroll's car is a match for the Mercedes. I mentioned that mistakes from drivers ahead was what most often was the result in an overtake. If the drivers ahead kept it clean, due to the track conditions, It will have been incredibly hard to go offline without loosing it. Strategy or tyre advantage was the main thing that resulted in overtakes this race, or drivers making mistakes. I even mentioned that the only reason Kvyat got past Stroll was because of Stroll's mistake. When drivers kept it clean, drivers on the same tyres really struggled to get by, no matter how good the car was. Remember me mentioning Hamilton behind Grosjean?

You have commented in a way that seems like you ignored or totally re worded how it was written.

[TheGiantHogweed]

Michael Masi said after viewing the footage from Chopper Cam, it was Bottas that hit Leclerc & not vice versa as it seemed. If this is true, he hit Hamilton before as well. He made 2 contacts with his front wing & Hamilton could've easily gotten a puncture & his race could've ended even.

The 2 contacts did look a little clumsy. All this before the summer break ain't going to do Bottas any favours.

I read the bit about the heli cam so I had a look. To me it looked like a racing incident tbh.

If you look at the footage from vettel, it does look like Bottas moves away from the right side of the track just slightly, but it looks like Leclerc pretty much does a lunge at him. As if he was defending or thought he was fully past. Either way I think it looked pretty obvious that it was Leclerc at fault for this. I blame Bottas for the first one though and likely removing his chance of a podium.

[F1 Racer]

Michael Masi said after viewing the footage from Chopper Cam, it was Bottas that hit Leclerc & not vice versa as it seemed. If this is true, he hit Hamilton before as well. He made 2 contacts with his front wing & Hamilton could've easily gotten a puncture & his race could've ended even.

The 2 contacts did look a little clumsy. All this before the summer break ain't going to do Bottas any favours.

In defence of Bottas for the first Hamilton contact it reminded me of Belgium 2014 with Hamilton and Rosberg touching. Is it not similar to a crowd off situation? There is minor overlap between the cars so should the outside car lift off the gas and back out of it by dropping back or should the inside car realise that there is some overlap of his opponent's car to his outside and therefore back out of it and leave space to the edge of the track? My personal opinion in these minor overlap situations is that it's a racing incident when they touch as it is so hard for either driver to be able to judge that there is some slight overlap there.

[ReservoirDog]

Not his fault in Hungary.

Germany yeah he binned it but it was a race where most people made errors. Only sheer luck saved Hamilton from joining him back in the garage early.

If Wolff was indeed using these last 2 races as a guide to determine Bottas' future in the team as some suggest, then I see it as very, very poor management and to me suggests Bottas was pretty much on his way out the door no matter what he did.

What was Wolff going to see in these last 2 races that wasn't made patently obvious by Bottas in his previous 50 odd races for the team? To look at these last 2 races in isolation to any degree outside of Bottas' full tenure with the team doesn't make sense.

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

"He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by" Fighting words from a guy who started the season trying to beat the best driver of the generation. Why not just stay home in his PJs? He finally got a chance to beat Lewis, and he says he'd rather just play safe and trundle home in 3rd place.

And now Stroll in a midfield car is a match for the Mercedes.

I am actually going to give up on replying to you. What are you even trying to say?

You are being a bit unreasonable here. Bottas DID NOT SAY that he'd rather do what i mentioned. He simply said that he could have done that. He and the team will have wanted to get better, so he tried but it unfortunately went wrong. This was only his afterthoughts at the end of the race - after he had retired. He won't have meant that without the team telling him to push, that he will have chosen to trundle home...

The Stroll comment, you are being unreasonable about too. Look at Stroll's wet drives. He has a couple of times now been outstanding in the wet (or at least well above his usual level). You say in the comment that you won't bother replying to me, it seems like you don't read it. I did not say Stroll's car is a match for the Mercedes. I mentioned that mistakes from drivers ahead was what most often was the result in an overtake. If the drivers ahead kept it clean, due to the track conditions, It will have been incredibly hard to go offline without loosing it. Strategy or tyre advantage was the main thing that resulted in overtakes this race, or drivers making mistakes. I even mentioned that the only reason Kvyat got past Stroll was because of Stroll's mistake. When drivers kept it clean, drivers on the same tyres really struggled to get by, no matter how good the car was. Remember me mentioning Hamilton behind Grosjean?

You have commented in a way that seems like you ignored or totally re worded how it was written.

You should go back and watch his post-race interview. He clearly implied the team shouldn't have asked him to push. He was happy trundling along in 3rd behind Stroll. Same Stroll who got easily passed by much lesser cars. You are somehow claiming Stroll is some world class driver. He's only better than Kubica on the whole grid. You're also forgetting that Bottas was driving a MERCEDES.

No, I did not forget Hamilton and Grosjean. Hamilton had a terrible race. You know what else Hamilton has had? Multiple championships, countless wins, and well on his way to another WDC this year even if he screws up a bunch of other races later this season. Hamilton can choose to have bad days, Bottas can't. So don't bring Lewis into the discussion.

Bottas had a chance of a lifetime to gain an upper hand on Lewis for one race. And he blew it. Bottas needs to be on his very very best every race. But according to you, he should just trundle in third place in the comfort of his mother's arms. It was Bottas's chance to shine and he didn't. Hamilton can get stuck behind Grosjean, he deserves a breather. Look at the lengths Rosberg had to go to to beat Lewis in 2016. Even then it took a little luck. But Rosberg was on it every time and doing the best he could. Bottas isn't. I never rated Bottas, but him showing his cowardice after Germany really made me hate him more. He still should be at Mercedes next year though since he's a good lap dog.

[TheGiantHogweed]

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

"He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by" Fighting words from a guy who started the season trying to beat the best driver of the generation. Why not just stay home in his PJs? He finally got a chance to beat Lewis, and he says he'd rather just play safe and trundle home in 3rd place.

And now Stroll in a midfield car is a match for the Mercedes.

I am actually going to give up on replying to you. What are you even trying to say?

You are being a bit unreasonable here. Bottas DID NOT SAY that he'd rather do what i mentioned. He simply said that he could have done that. He and the team will have wanted to get better, so he tried but it unfortunately went wrong. This was only his afterthoughts at the end of the race - after he had retired. He won't have meant that without the team telling him to push, that he will have chosen to trundle home...

The Stroll comment, you are being unreasonable about too. Look at Stroll's wet drives. He has a couple of times now been outstanding in the wet (or at least well above his usual level). You say in the comment that you won't bother replying to me, it seems like you don't read it. I did not say Stroll's car is a match for the Mercedes. I mentioned that mistakes from drivers ahead was what most often was the result in an overtake. If the drivers ahead kept it clean, due to the track conditions, It will have been incredibly hard to go offline without loosing it. Strategy or tyre advantage was the main thing that resulted in overtakes this race, or drivers making mistakes. I even mentioned that the only reason Kvyat got past Stroll was because of Stroll's mistake. When drivers kept it clean, drivers on the same tyres really struggled to get by, no matter how good the car was. Remember me mentioning Hamilton behind Grosjean?

You have commented in a way that seems like you ignored or totally re worded how it was written.

You should go back and watch his post-race interview. He clearly implied the team shouldn't have asked him to push. He was happy trundling along in 3rd behind Stroll. Same Stroll who got easily passed by much lesser cars. You are somehow claiming Stroll is some world class driver. He's only better than Kubica on the whole grid. You're also forgetting that Bottas was driving a MERCEDES.

No, I did not forget Hamilton and Grosjean. Hamilton had a terrible race. You know what else Hamilton has had? Multiple championships, countless wins, and well on his way to another WDC this year even if he screws up a bunch of other races later this season. Hamilton can choose to have bad days, Bottas can't. So don't bring Lewis into the discussion.

Bottas had a chance of a lifetime to gain an upper hand on Lewis for one race. And he blew it. Bottas needs to be on his very very best every race. But according to you, he should just trundle in third place in the comfort of his mother's arms. It was Bottas's chance to shine and he didn't. Hamilton can get stuck behind Grosjean, he deserves a breather. Look at the lengths Rosberg had to go to to beat Lewis in 2016. Even then it took a little luck. But Rosberg was on it every time and doing the best he could. Bottas isn't. I never rated Bottas, but him showing his cowardice after Germany really made me hate him more. He still should be at Mercedes next year though since he's a good lap dog.

This is just unreasonable.... saying that I think things that I never mention. I give up at that.

[Invade]

This is just unreasonable.... saying that I think things that I never mention. I give up at that.

So what's your hunch as a Bottas fan. Will he be driving a Merc in 2020?

[TheGiantHogweed]

This is just unreasonable.... saying that I think things that I never mention. I give up at that.

So what's your hunch as a Bottas fan. Will he be driving a Merc in 2020?

Well yea, i don't deny i am a bottas fan. I've mentioned this before enough times. I don't think Mercedes will look at his latest 2 results and judge him more for them than all his other races. I still think it is more likely to be him than Ocon in the seat next year but we will see.

[pendulumeffect]

I think he should get a 1 year extension if he secures 2nd or 1st in the championship otherwise another driver deserves to take his place. Simple as that.

[TheGiantHogweed]

I said I had gioven up with this, but I thought I may as well write down what Bottas said in his interview after the race. This was with Sky.

"I made a mistake myself. For sure, the team also said I should push harder ((he's mentioning this yes, but saying he made the mistake, he is not blaming them)), I was pushing as hard as I could to get to the podium so. Obviously pushed a bit too much in that corner and lost the rear end so.. My mistake. Maybe I should have stayed more calm and taken my time, but maybe in that, I don't know. ((Like I said, this is just his suggesting what he could possibly have done differently)) If I didn't try that hard, maybe I couldn't reach the podium but I could have got some points which would have been important. Yea for sure, lots to learn"

I think that what I mentioned in the post above was close enough to what bottas said.

[Invade]

This is just unreasonable.... saying that I think things that I never mention. I give up at that.

So what's your hunch as a Bottas fan. Will he be driving a Merc in 2020?

I don't think Mercedes will look at his latest 2 results and judge him more for them than all his other races. I still think it is more likely to be him than Ocon in the seat next year but we will see.

There's been so much smoke about this that it's hard to believe Bottas won't be replaced, but the more I try and look into it the less substantial any of it actually seems.

[TheGiantHogweed]

This is just unreasonable.... saying that I think things that I never mention. I give up at that.

So what's your hunch as a Bottas fan. Will he be driving a Merc in 2020?

I don't think Mercedes will look at his latest 2 results and judge him more for them than all his other races. I still think it is more likely to be him than Ocon in the seat next year but we will see.

There's been so much smoke about this that it's hard to believe Bottas won't be replaced, but the more I try and look into it the less substantial any of it actually seems.

Well, have been so many rumours going around but nothing official anywhere really. People just seen to be a bit fixated that Toto just said to the media (think this was live on sky sports) That Ocon will get a seat in formula 1 in 2020. And because of Bottas's 2 recent drives, it seems that so many seem so certain about him getting kicked out now. I know nico rosberg has been thinking this is quite possible, but given how much he's found out, many websites are not reporting that and I'm thinking it is because it isn't reliable enough to be an accurate prediction. I also thought that some people expecting Mercedes to be basing Bottas's performances on these last 2 races more so than others are maybe misunderstanding what they meant. I just thought they meant they will make the decision over weather to sign him on - over the next few weeks which happens to have included the last two races. They won't base it heavily on these two (which many seem to be thinking) without looking at the fact that overall, he has been solid again this year - quite possibly better than last year up until recently. I think they will look back and still find enough reasons to keep him over Bottas.

[F1 Racer]

I think he should get a 1 year extension if he secures 2nd or 1st in the championship otherwise another driver deserves to take his place. Simple as that.

That will be pretty late in the season for him to secure 2nd in the WDC wouldn't it?

[pokerman]

Others made errors not an excuse for you to make an error. What kind of logic are you using? By your line of thinking, he should also drive like a god when Lewis does so.

When you are against one of the best drivers ever, you don't get many chances to take a victory. Lewis made a mistake, the pits made mistakes. It was time for Bottas to up his game and produce a race that he'd remember for some time. What does he do? Bins it. Cuz everyone else was too. And then blames the team for asking him to pick up his pace. He was complacent behind a trashcan driver like Stroll in a midfield car, while driving one of the best cars in the history of the sport.

What Bottas did in Germany is not excusable at all.

Some people seem like they are trying pretty hard to find reasons to criticise him. Bottas simply said that when he tried to push harder, it just happened to result in that mistake. He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by. He simply did not sound like he was trying to blame the team. Regarding you mentioning Stroll, he is not bad at all in these conditions. He made a mistake that allowed Kvyat through, but drove flawlessly when ahead of Bottas. And in these conditions with these tryes, it surely is pretty damn hard to get by any car without them up ahead making a mistake. Look at Hamilton when he was stuck behind Grosjean. He had the same issue. I know Bottas making a mistake is still bad, no matter how many others did. But many other drivers that we consider good, crashed out or had a terrible race. That is why I think Bottas shouldn't be quite as heavily criticized for this. It is the only time he's ever retired down to his own mistake in his entire career. Everything shouldn't just be based on this weekend, even in including Hungary too.

"He then just mentioned that as an alternative, he could have just played it safe and not risked trying to get by" Fighting words from a guy who started the season trying to beat the best driver of the generation. Why not just stay home in his PJs? He finally got a chance to beat Lewis, and he says he'd rather just play safe and trundle home in 3rd place.

And now Stroll in a midfield car is a match for the Mercedes.

I am actually going to give up on replying to you. What are you even trying to say?

You are being a bit unreasonable here. Bottas DID NOT SAY that he'd rather do what i mentioned. He simply said that he could have done that. He and the team will have wanted to get better, so he tried but it unfortunately went wrong. This was only his afterthoughts at the end of the race - after he had retired. He won't have meant that without the team telling him to push, that he will have chosen to trundle home...

The Stroll comment, you are being unreasonable about too. Look at Stroll's wet drives. He has a couple of times now been outstanding in the wet (or at least well above his usual level). You say in the comment that you won't bother replying to me, it seems like you don't read it. I did not say Stroll's car is a match for the Mercedes. I mentioned that mistakes from drivers ahead was what most often was the result in an overtake. If the drivers ahead kept it clean, due to the track conditions, It will have been incredibly hard to go offline without loosing it. Strategy or tyre advantage was the main thing that resulted in overtakes this race, or drivers making mistakes. I even mentioned that the only reason Kvyat got past Stroll was because of Stroll's mistake. When drivers kept it clean, drivers on the same tyres really struggled to get by, no matter how good the car was. Remember me mentioning Hamilton behind Grosjean?

You have commented in a way that seems like you ignored or totally re worded how it was written.

You should go back and watch his post-race interview. He clearly implied the team shouldn't have asked him to push. He was happy trundling along in 3rd behind Stroll. Same Stroll who got easily passed by much lesser cars. You are somehow claiming Stroll is some world class driver. He's only better than Kubica on the whole grid. You're also forgetting that Bottas was driving a MERCEDES.

No, I did not forget Hamilton and Grosjean. Hamilton had a terrible race. You know what else Hamilton has had? Multiple championships, countless wins, and well on his way to another WDC this year even if he screws up a bunch of other races later this season. Hamilton can choose to have bad days, Bottas can't. So don't bring Lewis into the discussion.

Bottas had a chance of a lifetime to gain an upper hand on Lewis for one race. And he blew it. Bottas needs to be on his very very best every race. But according to you, he should just trundle in third place in the comfort of his mother's arms. It was Bottas's chance to shine and he didn't. Hamilton can get stuck behind Grosjean, he deserves a breather. Look at the lengths Rosberg had to go to to beat Lewis in 2016. Even then it took a little luck. But Rosberg was on it every time and doing the best he could. Bottas isn't. I never rated Bottas, but him showing his cowardice after Germany really made me hate him more. He still should be at Mercedes next year though since he's a good lap dog.

Bottas was actually in 4th place behind Stroll.

[bourbon19]

Bottas should get 5he nod over a young driver. If Ferrari and or RB get it together, then it won’t really matter as we won’t have to depend on Merc for all the race action.

[froze]

Now everyone are saying no. If he takes a couple of race wins again, then everyone are going to say yes. That's how this discussion always goes.

[dpastern]

I like Bottas a lot, and personally, I think that he has more than done enough to keep his seat. He's fast. Loyal. Mostly consistent. Capable of winning races. A great team player. As for his potential competition...

Ocon - I have a very strong suspicion that he will not be loyal, and will create a lot of issues within the team, a la Rosberg...I personally doubt that he's as fast as Bottas.

Russell - pretty sure he's tied to a long term multi year Williams contract without a get out of my contract clause...if this is the case, then he's pretty stupid imho. I think he'd be a loyal team player, and at least as fast as Bottas.

[pokerman]

Now everyone are saying no. If he takes a couple of race wins again, then everyone are going to say yes. That's how this discussion always goes.

The decision will be taken in the next few weeks before the next race so it's irrelevant what happens after that.

[pokerman]

I see perhaps two strong camps here, Hamilton fans and none Hamilton fans.

Hamilton fans in the main are happy for Bottas to be retained not just because he's beatable for Hamilton but also because he's trustable, he's a fair teammate, to say it's because Bottas offers no threat wouldn't exactly be true, he's been a threat in qualifying thus far so not exactly a push over?

None Hamilton fans simply want Hamilton to be challenged, Bottas doesn't fit that bill for them so let's try Ocon, if Ocon comes up short then on to the next one.

With Mercedes I don't see what they really gain, they have won everything with Bottas, you can't really improve on that, it's only when you fail that you may consider that something needs to change.

[mikeyg123]

I see perhaps two strong camps here, Hamilton fans and none Hamilton fans.

Hamilton fans in the main are happy for Bottas to be retained not just because he's beatable for Hamilton but also because he's trustable, he's a fair teammate, to say it's because Bottas offers no threat wouldn't exactly be true, he's been a threat in qualifying thus far so not exactly a push over?

None Hamilton fans simply want Hamilton to be challenged, Bottas doesn't fit that bill for them so let's try Ocon, if Ocon comes up short then on to the next one.

With Mercedes I don't see what they really gain, they have won everything with Bottas, you can't really improve on that, it's only when you fail that you may consider that something needs to change.

I'm not a fan of anyone but I would rather Mercedes go for Ocon purely because it will be more interesting seeing how he does than yet another year of Bottas being Bottas.

[shoot999]

As a Hamilton fan I would like to see him challenged. Although it does seem some people just want any other driver no matter who it is, and if that doesn't work, keep chucking more drivers at the problem. The same problem RB face with finding someone to pair up with Max.

[pokerman]

I see perhaps two strong camps here, Hamilton fans and none Hamilton fans.

Hamilton fans in the main are happy for Bottas to be retained not just because he's beatable for Hamilton but also because he's trustable, he's a fair teammate, to say it's because Bottas offers no threat wouldn't exactly be true, he's been a threat in qualifying thus far so not exactly a push over?

None Hamilton fans simply want Hamilton to be challenged, Bottas doesn't fit that bill for them so let's try Ocon, if Ocon comes up short then on to the next one.

With Mercedes I don't see what they really gain, they have won everything with Bottas, you can't really improve on that, it's only when you fail that you may consider that something needs to change.

I'm not a fan of anyone but I would rather Mercedes go for Ocon purely because it will be more interesting seeing how he does than yet another year of Bottas being Bottas.

Like I said that's the opinion of a none fan.

[pokerman]

As a Hamilton fan I would like to see him challenged. Although it does seem some people just want any other driver no matter who it is, and if that doesn't work, keep chucking more drivers at the problem. The same problem RB face with finding someone to pair up with Max.

Indeed even Rosberg I believe got criticised until he finally won in 2016?

[UnlikeUday]

I see perhaps two strong camps here, Hamilton fans and none Hamilton fans.

Hamilton fans in the main are happy for Bottas to be retained not just because he's beatable for Hamilton but also because he's trustable, he's a fair teammate, to say it's because Bottas offers no threat wouldn't exactly be true, he's been a threat in qualifying thus far so not exactly a push over?

None Hamilton fans simply want Hamilton to be challenged, Bottas doesn't fit that bill for them so let's try Ocon, if Ocon comes up short then on to the next one.

With Mercedes I don't see what they really gain, they have won everything with Bottas, you can't really improve on that, it's only when you fail that you may consider that something needs to change.

I'm not a fan of anyone but I would rather Mercedes go for Ocon purely because it will be more interesting seeing how he does than yet another year of Bottas being Bottas.

And I feel Wolff is so itching to put Ocon in the 2nd seat at Mercedes. Bottas miraculously got 3 years at Mercedes (including this 1) & could never even finish runner up in the best car on the grid. He has his chance. Mercedes' driver program can't be frozen for another year now!

[Robot]

As a Hamilton fan I would like to see him challenged. Although it does seem some people just want any other driver no matter who it is, and if that doesn't work, keep chucking more drivers at the problem. The same problem RB face with finding someone to pair up with Max.

And how is going to challenge him?, I doubt Ocon will do it. The only challenge out there is Alonso or Max but Max is not gonna move from RB I'm afraid.