George Russell will partner Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel of the W11 for Mercedes F1, after Lewis Hamilton unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently self isolating. Russell will be making his debut for the German manufacturer at which he has been a junior driver since 2017 and is a serious contender in the future for the regular spot. He is currently in his second year stint for Williams, who is a customer team of Mercedes. 

But that does not mean the pressure is lower on Bottas, who has been driving for Mercedes F1 since 2017, but has a hard time finding a way to be a serious threat to Hamilton. After being asked what it could mean for his future in case he won’t be able to beat the 22-years old Russell, he replied “it wouldn't look so good on me”. 

As he said during the interview: “I haven't really thought about it and it's difficult to know what to expect from George in terms of performance. He knows the team well, but also it's a different car that he has been testing and lots of new things. And also... I don't really know what to say to that question. I haven't thought [about] it in that sense and if I have to give some kind of answer I say if he beats me, yeah for sure it wouldn't look so good on me if I have a normal race and if he beats me fair and square.”

He added: "So obviously I [will] try to avoid that. But I am not a person who thinks on that side of things. I try to turn things into a motivation and through positive thinking. That's my mindset for this weekend."

Bottas also disagreed with the suggestions that the upcoming weekend will be in any way decisive for the future spot at Mercedes. The Finnish driver has signed a contract for 2021, but Hamilton’s future beyond 2020 is yet to be known to the public, as there are still talks regarding the contracts. Bottas has said that the media were simply “making that kind of thing up”. 

As he explained during the interview: "I know that you like to speculate things and create drama and 'showdowns' etc. But I doubt George thinks that way and at least I don’t. I think it's a great opportunity for George, a great opportunity to learn a lot and to show what we can do with the team. And from my side, as a racing driver of course you always want to be ahead of your teammate – whether it's Lewis Hamilton or George Russell or anyone else, it doesn't matter.”

He added: ”And I also have a job to do for the last three races of the season – I have my own motivation, which is trying to win the remaining races. That's obviously for me the only goal – and trying to maximise all the learnings I can for next year and end the season on a positive way that could hopefully help me [at the] start of next year. I have a contract for next year, I have clear targets for myself for next year – the team as well – so for me everything is really simple. No pressure from my side.

Will Bottas be able to beat the rookie behind the W11’s wheel? Or will the fight be extremely close between those two? The upcoming weekend of Sakhir GP will definitely provide us with some answers.