[Jody Barton]

Emo beardy Bottas talks the talk... I'm just not sure he'll be able to walk the walk Morini. I hope he does, I like you genuinely like the bloke, he seems like a nice guy, and I just think he's one of the good guys. I would like nothing more than to see him maintain a title challenge throughout the year, but if it is a straight shoot out between Lewis and Bottas I don't think many would back Bottas to come out on top.

If it is a multi-team battle with either Ferrari (still the most likely challengers) or Red Bull, or maybe both, getting involved then you have to say that Mercedes will swing behind Lewis, whether consciously or not. He's the one who is most likely at this stage, and given his pedigree he's the most likely to be the lead driver at Mercedes in terms of results if decision needs to be taken.

If it is an all Mercedes affair this year and Bottas doesn't win he'll be gone. If it is a multi-team battle and he performs well and consistently scores points for the team and backs Lewis up then he has a shot of retaining his seat. Whether or not he sees himself as a wingman is irrelevant, I think that's how Mercedes see him now, especially after last year. He needs to work hard to change that perception.

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PS. As an aside to all that above, if it is a multi-team battle, and he does end up backing up Hamilton to another WDC I would expect Mercedes to still replace him with Ocon or Russell. Why? Because Lewis is getting older and has this season and next on his contract, Mercedes need to start their succession planning, and Bottas won't be part of that. Honestly? To retain his seat I think he'll need to win the WDC.