The handling, balance and speed of the car never matched the one in qualifying trim, with Russell netting only one 11 th-placed finish for Williams compared to the two for Latifi.īut then came that performance in the Sakhir GP that has catapulted Russell into the spotlight, and a nailed-on certainty for a permanent seat with Mercedes in the future.Īfter deciding before a wheel had even turned in anger to sign for McLaren for 2021, Daniel Ricciardo could easily have opted to take it easy over the past few months, but not a bit of it. Yet despite the FW43's lack of pace, Russell somehow managed to reach Q2 in that car on nine occasions, rightly earning him the nickname of 'Mr Saturday' as he over-delivered, out-qualifying team-mate Nicholas Latifi in all 16 races as a pairing.
F1 STANDINGS 2020 DRIVER
It was evident, even before Mercedes asked George Russell to replace COVID-hit Hamilton, that here was a driver with immense talent, masked by the deficiencies of another under-performing Williams. When a man of the calibre of Ross Brawn enthuses with such gusto about a driver, you have to sit up and take notice. "A star is born" and of "future F1 champion material". But the fact he spun six times in a Turkish GP in which Hamilton produced one of the best performances of his career that clinched him his seventh title, and then his display against Russell in the Sakhir GP, for me, underlines why Bottas is where he is on this list.
F1 STANDINGS 2020 DRIVERS
The fact Bottas only managed to finish ahead of Hamilton in three other races speaks volumes for the dynamic between the two drivers this season where one has been at the top of his game, and the other, try as he might, has floundered.īottas always ran Hamilton supremely close in qualifying, but come Sunday, there was often only one outcome, although he did endure some bad luck along the way that undermined his results. That should have been the catalyst for a sustained challenge.
So much more was expected, in particular after scoring pole position and the win in the season-opening race in Austria. And that's the problem with Bottas' season. There will be those who will feel the Finn should be higher, and certainly some who would perhaps pitch him even further down the order. It is likely some of you will disagree with this assessment.
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