Valtteri Bottas is feeling the heat at Mercedes. Owing to George Russell‘s superb performance in Sakhir, the Finnish driver is under a lot of pressure. The on-loan Williams driver totally outclassed him, despite it being the former’s debut race with the ‘Silver Arrows.’

Now, there are calls for him to replace Bottas for the next season. However, Valtteri is determined to prevent such a driver change, given he has an agreement in place with the team for 2021.

On the eve of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, he said, “I’m sure the British people would love to see us swap (cockpits) but I will try to prevent that.

“All I know is that I have a contract for next year.”

Bottas acknowledges his shortcomings

The Finn is his own harshest critic. He is yet to truly challenge Lewis Hamilton for the Driver’s title. This has been a cause of frustration for fans and pundits who want a more able candidate, like Russell, to go toe-to-toe with Lewis.

Thus, he believes he needs to pull up his socks. “There are many factors in this sport, sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s what you do yourself in and outside the car.

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“All I can say is that I can do much better than if you look at the last four races, on average.

“I feel that I need to do better,” he added.

Russell committed to Mercedes

His talent is attracting other F1 teams in the paddock who may be willing to take him on board. However, he wants to stay loyal to Mercedes,

“Ultimately, I have a contract and I will be a Williams driver in 2021.

“I signed a contract with Mercedes in 2016 and they are my bosses.

“They invested in me; they put their faith in me, and I’m committed to them.”

In conclusion, it is Russell’s destiny to drive for Mercedes, eventually. He put on a remarkable display of talent in W11 at Sakhir. Even if they might want to stick with Bottas for now, they know that the Briton is their driver for the future.