Valtteri Bottas' future at Mercedes, according to some, was already hanging in the balance prior to the race in Hungary. After the events of the race, many now feel that his time at Mercedes will come to an end once this season is over. Bottas has now addressed these suggestions as reported by F1’s official website.

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0:00 - Did Bottas Ruin His Mercedes Future With Hungary Crash?
1:21 - Fast Feed

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Did Bottas Ruin His Mercedes Future With Hungary Crash?

Bottas began by accepting his mistake

“Obviously, my mistake. I was the one coming from behind and it's up to me to brake early enough but I misjudged the braking point”

He then explained how the tricky conditions made it quite easy to make a mistake

“It shows it's not so easy in those conditions to predict, but I should have braked earlier, because when I started braking, I was closing in, then I locked the wheels and I hit Lando, and that caused the whole mess. So, my misjudgement and my mistake”

He was then asked if he had a discussion with Mercedes about his future after the race. He replied by saying

“We didn't speak about [my future]. If I'm honest, it would be nice to race next weekend and try and get a good race but I guess it's time for a break and try to come back strong and try and have a positive start to the second half”

He signed off by responding to queries about his management contacting other teams for a seat next year

“I can't tell you – but we're working!”


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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl “definitely will not go in the direction Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal] is going” [GP Fans]

“Mentioning in every second sentence the cost cap and how much you get hurt by it by every accident on the track”

“In the end, that is part of the game we are in. It is down to us to manage the budget in the right way”, he added

Retired F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has suggested that Valtteri Bottas “could move to Aston Martin in place of Lance Stroll, who would go to Mercedes” [Libero Quotidiano]

“Stroll senior’s dream, very close to Toto Wolff, is to see his son winning Championships. And Toto needs a place for Valtteri”, Villeneuve added

“For sure Hamilton doesn’t like Russell as a teammate. Better someone like Bottas, who doesn’t bother him”, he concluded

Retired F1 driver Ralf Schumacher feels that Lewis “Hamilton and Mercedes gave away the win when Hamilton was the only one who did not make a pit stop and did not change tires before the restart” [Sky Sports]

“Toto Wolff has said he is behind the action, but he has been around long enough and knows it was a mistake”, Ralf added

He further feels that “you have to hold Lewis responsible as well. He should have said to his team, 'I have to come in, the track is too dry”

Retired F1 driver turned analyst Jolyon Palmer has pointed out that Alpine’s Esteban “Ocon was lucky to not be nerfed by [Lance] Stroll who chose to take to the grass and hit [Charles] Leclerc instead”

“Whilst [Sebastian] Vettel and [Carlos] Sainz came through from a poor start and a poor grid position to emerge in third and fourth”

“Examination of the number 16 SF21 [Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari F1 car] carried out in Maranello, revealed that the engine was irreparably damaged and cannot be used again, following the impact from Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin” [Ferrari press release]

“This is a further blow for Scuderia Ferrari and the Monegasque driver. This damage has a financial impact and also racing ramifications”

“Given that over the remaining 12 race weekends this season, it is highly likely the team could be obliged to fit a fourth ICE to Charles’ SF21, thus incurring grid penalties”

“Is there nobody with the guts to make the decision to give Verstappen and Hamilton both no points at Silverstone and in the case of Vettel to give him a warning and a 10,000 euro fine?” questioned Dutch Grand Prix Sporting Director, Jan Lammers [NOS]

He further feels that “you have to break the era where rules are not only applied according to the letter of the law but also according to the spirit of the sport”


Did the Hungary crash ruin Valtteri Bottas’ chance of getting re-signed by Mercedes?