Allison: Bottas 'worthy of his place' at Mercedes

Mercedes technical director James Allison labeled Valtteri Bottas a "top ranked driver" who is "worthy of his place" with the Mercedes team.

Bottas' future with the Brackley squad is currently the subject of a whirlwind of speculation, with most pundits predicting the Finn will be replaced at the end of the year by Mercedes protégé and Williams driver George Russell.

Bottas has struggled this season to race on a par with teammate Lewis Hamilton, a shortfall that has only added more pressure to the 31-year-old's situation.

But Allison defended the Finn and hinted at the stability that his presence alongside Hamilton has brought to the reigning world champions over the years.

"Well, certainly, he’s very, very keen to show that [he is determined]," Allison said last weekend in Austria.

"He is worthy of his place in the team. And a top ranked driver, and a weekend like the last one is extremely helpful for him in that regard."

• Read also: Wolff 'loved' that Bottas spoke his mind in French GP

Despite his positive comments, Allison stopped short of expressing his view on which driver pairing Mercedes should field in 2022.

"It’s not my place to speculate on that, to be honest," he added. "They’ve been a very good driver pairing but it’s not my place to speculate further."

While Bottas may count an ally in Allison, the nine-time Grand Prix winner has already received the all-important support of the man sitting on the other side of the Mercedes garage.

"Valtteri is my team-mate now and we’ve both of us had our ups and downs in our careers," said Hamilton.

"But as I said, I think he is a fantastic team mate and I don’t necessarily see that it needs to change."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

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