After all the rumours about Mercedes' second seat, team principal Toto Wolff has now made a remarkable statement. He thinks the decision about the seat, which will probably be next to Lewis Hamilton, will only be made around winter.
Mercedes is in no hurry
Extending Lewis Hamilton's contract seems a certainty by now, but who gets the second spot next to the record champion is far from certain. Valtteri Bottas has not performed very well in the last few races, so the name George Russell is increasingly being mentioned as the right replacement for the Finn.
Wolff doesn't want to know anything about this and when asked when the public can expect news about the second driver Wolff replies the following to Autosport.com: "Somewhere in the winter I think. But I don't know if it's December, January or February."
Bottas will not be pushed aside just like that
Wolff believes loyalty is extremely important when it comes to driver selection, so he doesn't want to push Bottas aside too quickly for a seat in 2022. "It is highly possible because we have always been committed and loyal to the drivers. And this is what we're doing."
For the Austrian, it's simple: if Bottas performs well on Saturday and Sunday, he has a good chance of keeping his seat. But other talent will be looked at. However, a new impulse is not the main driver for him. "The main driver is consistent performance," Wolff concluded.