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Lehto: "There doesn't seem to be enough trust and faith in Bottas"

29 May 2020, 12:42 by Editorial Team

With the departure of Daniel Ricciardo at Renault there will be a seat free at the French team from 2021. It is not yet clear who will occupy that seat, although Fernando Alonso is often associated with the team. A rumour however points to a departure of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes, who could then end up at Renault. Small chance, says former F1 driver JJ Lehto.

Trust

"Valtteri has always had one year contracts, which feels like there is no complete trust and faith in him," says Lehto in the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti. So the future is uncertain for the Finn and there is a good chance that he will leave Mercedes. With this strange season it's not just about performance on the track, as these are not yet visible while new contracts are already being signed.

"Now the results on track are not as important as before, so I hope he has a good year on the negotiating table instead. It's worth pointing out that Valtteri has been good at Mercedes. A good runner-up who has been able to win races, help a manufacturer team win championships and give a good challenge to Lewis Hamilton."

Red Bull or Renault?

A new rumor that has surfaced brings the Finn in connection with Red Bull Racing. Lehto, however, considers that chance small, because Bottas is a "completely outside guy," with Red Bull Racing drawing mainly from its own juniors. So Bottas next to Max Verstappen seems unlikely.

Wolff is said to opt for a departure from Bottas to Renault. Since things didn't go too well with that team on the track, Bottas would have to help rebuild the factory team to become really competitive again. The question that arises is logically whether Bottas is interested in that, as he comes from a top team.

Lehto also states that Fernando Alonso is a lot more interesting for the French team. "Alonso is a political and difficult person, but still a two-time world champion for Renault," he said. "Valtteri is completely a Mercedes driver with no championship. So I think that's pretty clear cut."