Wolff maintains double standard towards drivers: 'Bottas won't be laughing'

That there is a clear division of roles between Mercedes' driver duo is now clear: Lewis Hamilton is fighting for the title where Valtteri Bottas has to settle for the supporting role. Team boss Toto Wolff also seems to adhere to this division of power and uses double standards when it comes to his drivers, according to Russian Formula 1 commentator Alexey Popov.

Speaking to Russian sports media Match TV, Popov explains the contrast between the treatment of Hamilton and Bottas. He does this with two examples: the criticism of Bottas after the dramatic pit stop in Monaco, and the waving away of Hamilton's blocking brakes in Azerbaijan as a minor mistake.

Popov explains: "After Monaco, the first thing he (Wolff) said was that because Bottas didn’t line up right, the mechanics couldn’t get the wheel off in the pitstop. Then it turned out that he had lined up better than almost everyone else."

Bottas can't laugh about it

"That alone isn’t so bad, but it seems that when Hamilton makes a mistake, Toto says ‘no, no, he accidentally flicked a switch’ and ‘it wasn’t a mistake because he was forced to by Perez’", the Russian argues.

Popov sees this situation at Mercedes becoming comical, except for the aggrieved Finn: "Honestly, everyone has started to laugh at this,” the Russian insists. “Not Bottas, of course, because he feels more and more like an outcast at the team. Whatever he does, it’s his fault. If something goes well for him, it’s thanks to the team."