Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has opened up about the futures of Valtteri Bottas and George Russell. The Austrian has stated that Mercedes F1 will announce their driver line-up for the next year by September, as one of Bottas or Russell will partner with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton next year.
Wolff wants to make the announcement by September so that the driver that misses out on the Mercedes seat can find a team for next year.
“We have to choose between the stability of Valtteri and the talent of George, where the future lies. I want the topic settled in September so both of them can position themselves properly for the coming season,” said Wolff.
The Mercedes boss believes that both drivers are talented stars who will find new teams if they don’t get chosen by Mercedes later this year.
“George and Valtteri would have, whatever we decide, great options. [They] would have probably more than one option to stay in F1, and race in F1 with an attractive outlook. Most teams see themselves as challenger teams. They expect a big step to be done next year because of the cost cap that is now valid for everybody,” said Wolff.
Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract with Mercedes F1 earlier this year, and will be on the team till the 2023 season. Bottas’ contract with Mercedes ends at the end of this season, while Russell is part of Mercedes’ Young Driver program and is primed to take over from Hamilton as the No. 1 Mercedes driver when the Brit decides to call time in his career.
Mercedes’ arch-rivals Red Bull have pushed them close this season, but there could be some dissension in the ranks of the Austrian team. A recent report has indicated that Sergio Perez, who joined the team this season, is not interested in playing second fiddle to Max Verstappen next season. The Mexican wants to be treated the same way as Verstappen, which has made contract discussions between him and Red Bull a little tricky.
Perez is currently fifth in the Drivers’ standings with 104 points, 91 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton. The Mexican has won one race this season after he took advantage of teammate Verstappen’s tire blowout in Azerbaijan.
Perez signed a one-year contract when he joined Red Bull Racing earlier this year from the Racing Point team, while Verstappen’s deal with his team expires in 2023.
