Wolff backs Bottas as Mercedes seeks to 'prove itself' in 2019

©Mercedes

40

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has shot down suggestions that Valtteri Bottas will be demoted to support driver status again in 2019.

“Valtteri knows he has the full backing of the team to succeed," Wolff insisted at this week's launch of the team's new car.

"He's excited to get back in the car and show his critics what he can do,” he added.

Bottas had a difficult second season at Brackley in 2018 and failed to win a single race, despite having picked up three victories the year before. By comparison, his team mate Lewis Hamilton clinched the chequered flag on 11 occasions.

Mercedes W10 to be powered by all-new engine

Mid-way through the campaign Bottas was forced to acknowledge that his role had become one of supporting Hamilton's bid for a fifth world title.

But with that uncomfortable experience behind him, Wolff said that he expected the Finn to be back to his best for the start of the forthcoming new season.

“We had a good chat after the break," said Wolff. "He was in a good place and has been able to fully reset after a season that was not always easy for him.

“He was refreshed, he's extremely hungry, and he wants to start racing again."

Wolff indicated that as in previous years, his two drivers would start on an equal footing with no team orders in place - at least, not until one or other has a clear upper hand in the championship.

"I'm really looking forward to a strong competition between the two of them," he said. "Racing each other hard and fighting hard against our rivals."

'Embarrassing' rule changes targeted at Mercedes - Wolff

Having won the last five constructors championships over rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, Mercedes is the odds-on favourite to retain their crown in 2019. But Wolff is taking nothing for granted, especially not with changes to aero regulations coming in over the off-season.

"The regulations have changed quite substantially," he explained. "We have to start from scratch.

"We need to prove ourselves again, against our own expectations and against our competitors," he added. “We start the season with zero points, so we're taking nothing for granted.

"There's absolutely no feeling of entitlement to be at the front," he insisted. "With the regulation change for the new season, every team can have a shot at the title.

"We're seeing all of them as a potential threat," he added.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.