F1 Rumors: Mercedes To Identify Lewis Hamilton s Perfect Co-Star
KEY POINTS
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff drops a huge hint at what could happen for Valtteri Bottas this season
Wolff says Mercedes might pick between Bottas and George Russell to be Lewis Hamilton s partner
The Silver Arrows are confident Hamilton will opt to stay for a little longer
The current Formula One season could help Mercedes-AMG Petronas to find the perfect teammate for Lewis Hamilton.
While Mercedes is still working on prolonging Hamilton’s contract, rumors began swirling around the sport that the second seat is now being deliberated with Valtteri Bottas and George Russell topping the list.
Although Mercedes swept the two opening practice sessions on Friday in Spain, Lewis Hamilton said he is wary of the challenge posed not just by rivals Red Bull, but by resurgent midfielders McLaren and Ferrari at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Hamilton went fastest ahead of team mate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in FP2, after Bottas led Max Verstappen of Red Bull, with Hamilton third, in FP1. However, Ferrari especially were right on the leaders’ tails throughout the day while Alpine also joined the party, Esteban Ocon finishing fourth and Fernando Alonso fifth in second practice.
Asked whether he was happy that Red Bull could face a challenge from the midfielders this weekend, Hamilton replied: “We just focus on our job and I just focus on our job… it’s amazing to see the progress that McLaren and Ferrari are making and even Alpine. Yes, I mean it’s fantastic to see them so strong, but that applies pressure for us also. It’s not just for one gro
Mercedes looked very much like the Silver Arrows of old at the Portuguese Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton driving a commanding race to win out from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. And Team Principal Toto Wolff said that Mercedes’ recovery from being on the ropes at pre-season testing was giving him, and the rest of the team, a “buzz” that they hadn’t felt since 2013…
Hamilton’s 97th victory required two expertly judged passes from the seven-time champion, the first on Verstappen, after Hamilton had himself been passed by the Dutchman at the Safety Car restart on Lap 7, while the second was on team mate Valtteri Bottas for the lead on Lap 20 – Hamilton then with enough pace in hand to take his second win of the season from Verstappen and Bottas, who was bogged down by a sensor issue in the final part of the race.
He may have taken his first pole position of the season on Saturday, but Valtteri Bottas was left scratching his head as he finished third in the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and victorious Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Finnish driver led 19 laps in Portugal but Hamilton led a crucial 34, the Briton taking the lead from his team mate on Lap 20. And Bottas ended up a “disappointing” third from first on the grid, losing position to Verstappen shortly after his pit stop.
Asked how his race went, Bottas replied: “Disappointing. When you start from the pole position, you have only one target for the race and that is to win the race. it didn’t happen today, so I’m disappointed.