Column | F1 2021 is a massive year for...Valtteri Bottas
Column
2021 was supposed to be a massive year for Formula 1, perhaps the biggest in a generation. The rule and regulation book was set for a reprint as Liberty Media were due to harvest the first crop of fruits from their takeover deal. But those fruits will remain covered whilst the coronavirus pandemic grips the world.
Still, F1 in 2021 has plenty of narratives for fans to cling to. In this series on GPblog, we take a look at who has a massive 12 months ahead of them in Formula 1. Next up, Valtteri Bottas. This series previously included Lando Norris, click here if you would like to view that article.
A big 2021
The same question seems to arise in the first six months of every year: will Valtteri Bottas impress Mercedes enough to get another one-year contract extension?
But 2021’s version of the question has an extra clause attached. Mercedes know a credible replacement is ready and waiting to jump in Bottas’ seat.
George Russell was fortunate enough to try his skills in the Mercedes for one Grand Prix in 2020. Despite his feet not fitting the cockpit perfectly and the set-up not exactly to his liking, Russell did a very good job.
The history books from the Saturday and Sunday in Bahrain put Bottas ahead of Russell, but the young British driver matched or even out-performed the Finn in most departments.
Russell’s performance at Williams was also strong. The mistake behind the safety car stands out. But aside from that, he always got what he could out of the underperforming car. Importantly he kept his unbeaten qualifying streak at Williams alive.
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What do Mercedes want?
Toto Wolff and co don’t necessarily want the two best drivers on the grid in their garage. Lewis Hamilton will be the number one driver at Mercedes until the day he retires. And their primary goal will be to win the Constructors’ Championship and Drivers’ Championship for Hamilton until further announcement.
As a result of this, Mercedes want a second driver who can score enough points to secure the Constructors’ Championship alongside Hamilton’s tally. And they want a second driver good enough to take points away from Max Verstappen and support Hamilton’s bid for the Championship in the second half of the season.
From 2017-2020, Bottas has ticked all of the minimum requirement boxes. Though Bottas’ form during the final part of the 2020 season was arguably his worse stint in the Mercedes overalls.
Had Verstappen eliminated just a couple of his DNFs, the Dutchman would’ve beaten Bottas to second place in the Championship. In fact, from the Russian Grand Prix onwards, Verstappen scored 104 points to Bottas’ 88.
Bottas under pressure
If this trend continues, and Sergio Perez puts in some strong performances, it’s entirely feasible that the Austrian Race team will close the gap. Thus, putting pressure on Mercedes.
Probably not enough pressure to win either World Championship. Hence why Bottas has the deal. It’s worth remembering that Hamilton would’ve won the 2020 Constructors’ Championship alone. But maybe enough pressure to ruffle some feathers in the German garage.
Even though the engines will stay the roughly the same in 2022, it’s a whole new kettle of fish with the rule and regulations altering all over the place. Red Bull may find a “double diffuser” kind of advantage with the new regulations in 2022.
And as a result of those two reasons, Mercedes will want to be on their guard and maybe look for a further step-up in their second driver. After all, they need to cover all possibilities, and that is what brings Bottas’ future into doubt.
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GPBlog’s prediction
As it stands currently, Bottas isn’t consistent enough at the front of the grid for Mercedes to defend everything if Red Bull performs at their optimum.
And we know what Bottas is like when the pressure comes on. To be honest, his race starts in 2020 were pretty poor. That’s probably the main area where Bottas needs to improve over the winter. Russell blasted past Bottas on his first start in the Mercedes car. And Bottas produces plenty of lock-ups when he’s in battles with other drivers.
2021 is a massive year for Bottas. He usually bounces into the new season with renewed optimism and, to be fair to him, often finds success in the first few races. He has won the last two opening Grands Prix.
But he cannot afford to drop off in the middle part of the season. This year he won’t get away with it. We expect Mercedes to hang back a little longer on his contract announcement this year to assess his consistency.
And let’s not forget two additional points. Russell will learn key bits of information from having Hamilton as a teammate. Another reason for Mercedes to give the British driver a contract. And finally, Bottas is only 31-years-old.
If he wants to stretch his F1 career into his mid-30s, then he will have to start getting the job done. The competition for places on the grid is as fierce as ever. And he could very easily miss out altogether if he doesn’t get that Mercedes contract. Bottas has to perform consistently in 2021 other it’s curtains.