Bottas won't carry Hamilton's luggage!

Should events during the season warrant the need for team orders, Valtteri Bottas would comply but the Finn insists he is not the 'number 2' driver at Mercedes.

While he was edged out by Lewis Hamilton in Australian, Bottas put in a solid performance in Melbourne, following his team mate past the checkered flag in third place on his Mercedes debut.

With a just a one-year contract with the German squad, Bottas is viewed by many has an interim solution for Mercedes which hopes it could lure either Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso into racing a Silver Arrows in 2018.

Bottas disagrees however with the perception that he is a mere interim servant to the man sitting on the other side of the garage.

"We have made it clear from the beginning that Lewis and I get to race in every situation," he told Finnish broadcaster MTV.

"Only if there are different tactics or a problem, then perhaps the team will give an order.  But in general we are allowed to race, as long as it is done honestly and without colliding with each other.

"Our philosophy is that we are racing, and that's how it should be," Bottas added.

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So the former Williams driver insists that, if an order from the pitwall does come during a race, he will obey it.

"If there is an order that you have to let your teammate past, it's the worst thing a racing driver can hear," said Bottas.

"But there would always be a reason, which is why there is also a manufacturers' championship.  I also have a goal of a long-term future with Mercedes, and I have always been loyal to the teams I drive for," he added.

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