It won't look good if Russell beats me "fair and square" - Bottas
It won't look good if Russell beats me "fair and square" - Bottas
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has conceded it would “not look good” for his career if Lewis Hamilton’s replacement George Russell beats him in Bahrain this weekend.
Bottas has failed to match up to Hamilton this season, winning just two races compared to his team-mate’s 11, but this weekend he will be marked against Russell after the seven-time champion was sidelined following a positive Covid-19 test.
The Finn, who has been with Mercedes four years, has signed a one-year deal to race for the team again in 2021. Russell, who is highly rated but has raced 36 times for Williams without scoring a point, is eyeing up the drive for 2022.
Asked what it would do for his career if Russell was able to out-perform him this weekend, he responded: “Quite a punchy question. I haven’t really thought about it.
“It’s difficult to know what to expect from George in terms of performance. He knows the team well, but also it is a different car to the one he has tested, lots of new things.
“I haven’t thought about it in that sense. If I have to give some kind of answer, then I’d say if he beats me, sure it wouldn’t look so good on me if I have a normal race and he beats me fair and square.
“But I am not a person who thinks on that side of things.”
Russell has been helped up the motorsport ladder by Mercedes’ young driver programme and is the first from that pool to get to race for the world champion team in F1.
This weekend’s race, and potentially the following one a week later in Abu Dhabi if Hamilton cannot return in time to compete, could be seen as a mini showdown for a future Mercedes seat.
But neither Bottas, nor Russell, were drawn into such an idea, insisting that getting the upper hand in one or two races is nothing that Mercedes will focus on when it comes to selecting its driver line-up.
Bottas added: “I know you like to speculate things and create drama and showdowns, but I doubt George is thinking that way and at least I don’t.
“From my side, as a racing driver you always want to be ahead of your team-mate, whether it’s Lewis Hamilton or George Russell or anyone else it doesn’t matter.
“I have a job to do for the last races of the season, I have my own motivations, which is trying to win the remaining races, which is obviously for me the only goal, and end the season on a positive way.”
Russell added: “One race doesn’t define a driver’s capability or the decision making for something that is over 12 months away. From my side, that’s not even in the back of my mind.
“I am going out there to enjoy it and learn as much as I can. In terms of the future, that will be judged over the course of the season and what’s happened in the past, not just on one or maybe two races.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Former F1 boss says Red Bull 'rethink' underway amid Horner saga
- 10 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Horner investigation TOLL on Verstappen revealed as question marks arise over Hamilton Ferrari switch
- 2 hours ago
Horner accuser 'angry and upset' over Red Bull SNUB as Perez bemoans lack of clarity - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
F1 fans provide SHOCK reaction to Verstappen Australian GP comments
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo makes SHOCK F1 admission - ‘I wanted it to be over’
- Yesterday 21:57
Verstappen 'doesn't like' AWKWARD Red Bull Horner questions
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
- GP AUSTRALIA 22 - 24 Mar
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
Related news
Hamilton hits out at 'SHOCKING' Mercedes performance
F1 regulations DON'T help competitive racing insists Mercedes chief
F1 aero chief declares key area Red Bull are NOT quickest
Wolff SNUBS Bearman while revealing his 'standout' F1 rising star
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860