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Bottas' departure opens the door for Russell at Mercedes

Bottas' departure opens the door for Russell at Mercedes

06-09-2021 12:51 Last update: 13:12
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GPblog.com

Valtteri Bottas has signed a multi-year deal with Alfa Romeo starting in 2022, meaning he will leave Mercedes at the end of this season. The Finn was long thought to be the ideal successor to Nico Rosberg, but Mercedes will really opt for George Russell in 2022.

Exit for Bottas

It was in the air for a while, but the decision has finally been made: Bottas is leaving Mercedes. All the rumours about Bottas' seat at Williams and Toto Wolff's postponement because 'the other driver still had to have a place,' made everyone assume that Bottas would be pushed aside by the German team.

Still, it's not a given. Indeed, in 2018 Bottas won the internal battle from Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman was in good standing with the leadership of Mercedes and was hoping for that seat. He ended up missing out on a seat altogether and sat in the garage for a year watching Bottas take several podium finishes.

Russell does convince

Where Ocon was never able to convince the Mercedes management, they can't ignore Russell anymore. The Briton has been part of the Mercedes junior programme for years and time after time on Saturday he showed that he is one of the fastest drivers. The fact that he qualified in second place in Belgium in the rain was the crowning glory of his development.

Bottas was for a long time the ideal second man alongside Lewis Hamilton, but Mercedes now has no choice but to bring Russell in. However, Bottas has found a great place to continue his career. At first, many people thought of the switch, with Bottas then going back to Williams, but he has found a place at Alfa Romeo.

Opportunities for Verstappen

At Mercedes, a new era is upon us with the arrival of Russell. Hamilton has had little to fear from his teammate since 2017 and has been very happy with the calm within the team. Russell will not come to Mercedes to obey every team order. He wants to become the frontrunner for Mercedes in the future, and that could make for some spectacle.

However, with Russell and Hamilton Mercedes does have a strong duo for 2022, so Max Verstappen is in for another great battle. The Dutchman may be able to take advantage of any Mercedes' internal problems but will be hoping that Sergio Perez can help him in this duel in 2022.