SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 20 hrs 20 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Wolff undecided over Bottas or Ocon for 2020

:Headline: Wolff undecided over Bottas or Ocon for 2020: ID:366264: from db_amp
Toto Wolff says he needs to do some more "thinking" about Mercedes' 2020 driver lineup.

Toto Wolff says he needs to do some more "thinking" about Mercedes' 2020 driver lineup.

Rumours in the past days suggest that the German team is close to extending Valtteri Bottas' contract for another year.

But Wolff is also working on finding a place on the grid next year for Esteban Ocon.

When asked about Bottas' 2020 deal, Wolff said at Hockenheim: "We want to end the season before the (August) shutdown in a good place and put in two solid performances in Hockenheim and Budapest.

"Then we will spend some time thinking about the driver lineup for 2020 and beyond," Wolff added.

The 'and beyond' part of Wolff's comments is crucial, as he clearly doesn't want to permanently lose the highly rated Ocon to a rival.

Last year, Wolff and Cyril Abiteboul clashed after Wolff hinted that the Renault boss reneged on a deal to accommodate Ocon at the French team for 2019.

Now, Ocon is once again being linked with Renault.

"For us it's not only about making the right decision for next year," Wolff said. "It's about looking ahead."

Wolff says he is happy with Bottas' qualifying pace, but the race "is a different exercise".

"Valtteri is showing some very strong performances and deserves the seat, but equally Esteban has shown that and is a great addition to the team," he added.

"Putting a Mercedes young driver in the car would be interesting as well.

"Having said that, there is interest in Esteban among other teams and we need to carefully make a decision, not only for our own benefit but also for Esteban's.

"If it would mean that we are taking a decision in favour of Valtteri, it clearly also means that somebody else would continue to develop Esteban and would mean that we would lose our hand for a year or two more with him," said Wolff.

amp_article__366264 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-07-27 08:53:04:
html db last update - 2019-07-27 08:53:04 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Toto Wolff

Click here for more stories about Mercedes

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .