Wolff says Russell/Bottas rumours are ‘nonsense’
Date published:
May 7 2021
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has branded talk of swapping Valtteri Bottas for George Russell mid-season as “nonsense”.
It had been a slow start to the season for Bottas, with Imola a particular low point as he collided with Russell while battling at the back end of the points.
The Portuguese Grand Prix though was a far improved performance as the Finn took pole position, and while unable to turn that into victory he did have a good chance at P2 before a sensor issue saw him fall back from the gearbox of Max Verstappen.
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Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen came into the 2021 Formula 1 Portuguese Grand Prix separated by one point in the standings. It appears the sport could be in for one of the most competitive battles for the championship in years.
The Hamilton-Verstappen race, however, still has a long way to go to rival the nine seasons in F1 history that saw one point (or less) separate the top two drivers at season s end. Here s a look at nine Formula 1 points chases for the ages:
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Stirling Moss, left, had the most lopsided season in Formula 1 history, and his own sportsmanship likely cost him the title in 1958.
Bottas feels ‘excitement’ from hunting Red Bull
Date published:
April 15 2021
Valtteri Bottas has said the perception that Mercedes are chasing Red Bull does not bring pressure, instead it excites him.
Mercedes came into the 2021 campaign riding the momentum of seven Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in a row, and were clear favourites to make it eight.
But the German outfit struggled in pre-season testing with stability appearing to be a main issue of the W12 and at round one in Bahrain, Bottas said the rear of his challenger remained tricky to live with.
“To be honest, in Bahrain it was a bit tricky for us in terms of how the car actually felt,” he told reporters in his press conference on the eve of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend at Imola.
Webber has no regrets over Ferrari decision
Date published:
April 14 2021
Despite describing racing for the Ferrari fans as being like a “drug”, Mark Webber does not regret turning them down.
Webber found himself within a team capable of challenging for titles for the first time at Red Bull, when between 2009-13 he partnered Sebastian Vettel.
Within that time, Red Bull went on a run of four Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships from 2010-13, with all four of those Drivers’ titles going Vettel’s way.
Webber actually had an offer to race for Ferrari in 2013 and it even got to the stage of looking at contracts. He decided against the move though.
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