In defence of the under-fire Bottas
We’re just two races into the 2018 season, and already there are suggestions that Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is under serious pressure.
After hurriedly joining the Silver Arrows on a one-year deal in 2017, a solid – if unspectacular – performance over the course of the season earned Bottas a further one-year extension.
The expectation is Mercedes will look to have its 2019 line-up confirmed before the autumn, giving Bottas just half a season to once again prove his worth.
Thus far, two very different weekends in Australia and Bahrain have yielded similar frustration.
In Melbourne, an uncharacteristically ragged Bottas put his W09 in the wall on his first Q3 lap. Damage to the rear of the car necessitated a gearbox change, relegating him to 15th on the grid.
With overtaking notoriously difficult on a unique Albert Park layout in cars producing an almost impenetrable wall of ‘dirty air’, Bottas’ recovery was unimpressive. He managed to climb only to eighth, collecting a meagre four points with what was the fastest machinery.
Two weeks later, Bottas was back at the sharp end and presented with an opportunity to redeem himself through victory. The odds were stacked against one-stopping race-leader Sebastian Vettel, whose soft compound tyres seemed bound to give in, as the medium-shod Bottas hunted him down in the closing laps.
The Finn’s consistent gains left him within striking range on the final lap of the race, but the best opportunity to execute a dramatic move slipped from his grasp when he decided against a do-or-die lunge into the first corner.
Vettel proceeded to take the flag, but for some, this was a Mercedes loss rather than a Ferrari win. In those circumstances, many pointed out, the German ought not to have had a prayer.
Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was incredulous, insisting that there had been a ‘90% probability’ of victory. It was a rather thinly-veiled criticism of the driver he used to manage.
Wolff’s comments, no doubt made when his frustration was at its height, were ill-advised. Whether or not the intention was to motivate, rather than demoralise, Bottas, he only intensified the growing pressure being exerted from all quarters.
It all seems at the moment like too many people are willing Bottas to fail, or indeed willing Mercedes to make a headline-grabbing driver switch. And that, at this stage, is simply unfair.
Bottas certainly didn’t cover himself in glory in Melbourne but mistakes happen. Max Verstappen was lucky to avoid the barriers when he spun in a similar position during the race. The fightback was tame, but the overall tally of five overtakes indicates the virtual impossibility of significant progress.
Onto Bahrain, and this time it’s a case of selective memory. Perhaps Bottas could have caught up to Vettel quicker but it was an efficient pursuit, and it only increased in ferocity as the Ferrari’s drivers heavily-worn tyres began to squeal.
Some drivers – probably including the enthrallingly aggressive Red Bull duo – may well have dramatically thrown it up the inside into Turn 1, but after a minimal return in Melbourne, you could argue Bottas was sensible to shy away from what has been termed a ‘win it or bin it’ move.
A more legitimate criticism would be that Bottas didn’t take advantage of his inevitably superior traction and set up a likely pass on the run to Turn 4, but there’s something inherently troubling about dictating race craft from behind TV screens.
And that is what people will remember about Bottas’ Bahrain weekend – the missed opportunity. What they will choose to forget is that, virtually from start to finish, he out-paced his quadruple world champion team-mate who in truth looked out-of-sorts throughout.
Hamilton is undeniably the faster of the pair, but every so often there is a blip, a scruffy weekend which usually interrupts a run of sizzling poles and dominant victories.
What Bottas offers is consistency and efficiency and on a normal weekend, a guarantee of a good haul of points.
But he’s not just a reliable understudy, he’s seriously talented. Take Russia, Austria or Abu Dhabi last year, three weekends on which he drove beautifully and assuredly while his team-mate struggled.
That’s not to refute the axiom that you’re only as good as your last race, but it’s important for fans to look back and remember what Bottas is capable of when on song.
Mercedes certainly will not be in a hurry to axe the 28-year-old, for its present situation is close to ideal. After a tumultuous three years of high-stakes scrapping between Hamilton and Rosberg, the Brackley outfit restored a welcome degree of stability by snapping up Bottas, and now a repeat of its clumsy intra-team collisions seems almost inconceivable.
When required, Bottas was delightfully obedient and a superb team player, recognising when it was important to maximise Hamilton’s score. Whilst he’s unlikely to accept playing a permanent second fiddle, Mercedes can be sure that he won’t impetuously reject team orders as many of his fellow drivers have done as he bids to ingratiate himself. That could be career suicide.
With a one-year deal in his pocket, Bottas knows where he stands. Mercedes could probably hand him another without too many complaints, and in doing so ensure the maintenance of a truly healthy dynamic.
Perhaps the only legitimate option to replace him would be Daniel Ricciardo – a wildcard of sorts. Most rate the venomous smiler more highly than Bottas, but his talent would surely come with the price of unsettling Hamilton and the risk of a debilitating feud between two of the sport’s most unique characters.
There is a cause, then, for Mercedes to remain patient – just as it did successfully with Rosberg after he was dealt a comprehensive trouncing by Hamilton back in 2015.
The renewed threat posed by Ferrari demands improvements from Bottas, but if he can build upon the promise he showed in Bahrain and put together a decent run, seizing any opportunities which come his way, the pressure will ease.
Mercedes is already tired of handing Ferrari precious points but, if indeed it is applying pressure behind the scenes, it will risk damaging Bottas’ confidence, spark a collective media assault and create an environment in which he cannot possibly flourish.