Valtteri Bottas had to endure yet another pit stop error. It forced the Finnish Driver to retire from the Monaco Grand Prix after Mercedes could not get his right front tire off during a stop.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has blamed his own driver after the race. Mercedes indicated that the slight angle caused by how Bottas had arrived at his pit box was a factor in the gun not going on straight.
Although the footage of the pit stop showed no wrongdoing by the driver. The prime culprit is probably the mechanic who was assigned to change the front right tire.
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When asked if Wolff’s comments surprised him, Bottas said: “Yes, I was surprised. I saw the video, and for me, it was pretty spot on where I stopped. Yes, I was quite surprised.
“Of course, I want to see all the reports about where I stopped, and I think I was like two or three centimeters off the central line.
“And if you get that accuracy normally, it’s pretty good. You know, you can easily swing by 10/15 centimeters so I thought it was pretty spot on.”
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Moreover, the former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes that the speculation about George Russell joining Mercedes is more intensified after the pit stop disagreement between Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes.
This whole saga seems like unnecessarily public mud slinging both ways and not really a sign of a harmonious team – driver relationship.
I imagine George will be watching this with more than a passing interest…. https://t.co/cXOx7EIkzW
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) June 4, 2021
George Russell potentially driving for Mercedes in 2021
George Russell has been with Williams for 3 years now and he has shown he can be quick with the resources at his disposal.
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Russell has driven one race weekend for Mercedes at last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix when Hamilton was sidelined with COVID-19. He was on course to win the Grand Prix, but troubling circumstances prevented him from doing so.
Part of the Silver Arrows academy, the speculation has continued to grow over him potentially driving for the Mercedes in 2022 with both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas’ contracts ends at the end of this season.
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So what do you think, can we see the young Brit driving for the Silver Arrows anytime soon?