Bottas' behaviour keeps pundit's busy speculating on his future
Jun.22 - Two former F1 drivers think Valtteri Bottas is definitely leaving Mercedes.
Toto Wolff tried to downplay the Finn's expletive-filled radio rant in the French GP as a "great" thing because he is "finally letting something out".
But according to Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, something doesn't add up.
"Why didn't he (Bottas) say it earlier?" he told Ziggo Sport.
"He should have told his team halfway through the race, not after it was too late. It seems like he just doesn't have a position in the team to get things done."
Doornbos said something else was "strange" about Bottas at Paul Ricard.
"Why didn't he want to go for the fastest lap at the end by making a pitstop?" wondered the Dutchman.
"It's a strange move if you ask me. In my view, he was told long ago that he won't be there next year. Maybe that's why we're seeing these communication problems.
"It doesn't seem like there's a good vibe in the team at the moment," Doornbos said.
Another former driver, Ralf Schumacher, thinks that while Bottas had some good pace over the weekend in France, the 31-year-old's performance overall is "just not good enough".
"It's a new situation for Mercedes because they haven't had any real opponents from outside the team in recent years," he told Sky Deutschland.
"In that context, every mistake is a big problem.
"We saw how important Perez was in making Verstappen's strategy work. Bottas wasn't quite there in the same way."
However, Schumacher isn't sure the situation is dire enough for Mercedes to consider ousting Bottas before the end of the season.
"If Bottas' performance is like it was last weekend or in Monaco, then I don't see a driver change this season," said the German.
"But should Bottas fall away even more, it would definitely be worth considering.
"Personally, I wouldn't have dared to be so critical on the radio after performing like he has this season, but there's probably a reason.
"He probably knows he's gone anyway and is trying to recommend himself to another team. I can't explain it in any other way," added Schumacher.
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Bottas is sick of playing second fiddle while the asail Ponce's about playing with his hair
How rude r u, obviously a Lewis hater, leave our British 7 times world champion alone, he has t done anything wrong and yet u find something to have a go at him 4. Expect may be a Vercrappen fan
there is nothing not to like about max.quiet talented guy that does his talking on the track.no hidden agenda polite the guys a winner
There's no business like show business
Bottas seems to forget the only way he is going to keep his seat is by driving faster, which he cannot. He's had a charmed life but is being found out by just about everyone with any F1 knowledge.
last year VB did 1st and 2nd in Austria, that's just not good enough...... sack him Right Now I demand it
Well, the shoe fits. VB is becoming a truly underperforming driver...peaks in FP1 and then a steady slide to Sunday evening. He’s not passing anybody and the dismal defense in France showed he is past it.