Bottas to "make another step" according to Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff expects his driver, Valtteri Bottas to bounce back following his disappointing end to the Russian Grand Prix, when he was asked to concede victory to his team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas was all set to win his first race of the season, being winless since last season's finale in Abu Dhabi, before his Mercedes team ordered him to concede his position to Hamilton, to give him even more of an advantage over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Hamilton looks like he's almost there in this season's championship and could clinch his fifth world title in the next race on Sunday and Wolff expects Bottas to bounce back in form for next season and end his winless drought.

"I think Valtteri will get a victory and I think Valtteri will get many more victories in his life," Wolff explained to RaceFans. "He will go into his third season with Mercedes next year and make another step.

"He'll have learned and improved and see himself as a strong challenger for the championship, it's exactly what we want, so that will come."

Wolff believes that the Finn would have lost some "momentum" after giving up his front position to his team-mate, despite Bottas not admitting it.

"I think we have to remind ourselves that for a race driver who is channeling all his efforts into winning races and the championship to take a victory away from him, it will automatically drop a little bit of momentum," Wolff added. "He says he hasn't got that but I believe that will be a little part of it."