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Toto about the future of Bottas: He knows he has to perform

Toto about the future of Bottas: "He knows he has to perform"

02-07-2019 17:35 Last update: 17:35

Valtteri Bottas started the 2019 Formula 1 season in top gear, but he's since dropped back on Lewis Hamilton. While Bottas kept Hamilton off the podium in Austria, the British driver leads the world championship by 31 points. 

With Esteban Ocon breathing down his neck and other rumours flying around, the future of the Finn at Mercedes remains uncertain. According to boss Toto Wolff, Bottas knows what he must do. 

"Every Formula 1 driver knows that if he does not deliver the expected performance, there is always someone else to take your place," Toto Wolff tells Motorsport-Total.com 

"Valtteri knows he has to perform, he is on a team where he can win the championship and he claims he wants to win it too. In qualifying, I think Bottas is roughly equivalent to Lewis, so I think he should be aware of his strength and speed and use it during the race."

Max Verstappen managed to steam past Bottas during the Austrian Grand Prix. That might not have impressed Wolff, but the boss is understanding. 

"You can defend yourself like a lion, but if you have a car that is one and a half to two seconds slower, it's only a matter of time before you get eaten," Wolff added.

“You also saw how quickly Max had driven to Charles. If Valtteri had not been overtaken by Verstappen so quickly, he would have lost even more time and would probably have been beaten by Sebastian at the end of the race."

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