[Jody Barton]

I actually agree with Morini, I think over one lap Bottas is a pretty good match to most, not quite u there with the very best, but nevertheless very rapid, so I guess he'd prove a stern test to Ricciardo, but Danny Ric is currently winning the quali battle 6-1 with Hulkenberg. However, over a race distance I think Ricciardo is likely to prove the better of the two, he's one of the best racers on the grid.

As to why Bottas over Hulkenberg though? I think the answer comes from Nick Chester, who I think is the technical director or sporting director (can't remember his title) when he says that the biggest thing Ricciardo has brought into the team is knowing where they're lacking to the top cars and why, and that his feedback is invaluable. So, imagine what it'd be like having feedback from the hyper technical Bottas who has been driving for the best team in F1 for 3 years? Williams said they'd missed his input the season he left, and I think we can all see that while it's not the reason for their woes, they've simply not had someone who can feed them the technical information they need for over 2 years now. Bottas will be in demand because of his insider Merc knowledge, so I can see exactly why Renault would be interested. Honestly? I can't think of a better pairing for Renault if they want to develop their car.