D-7: Will Bottas float in Rosberg's suit?

A well-shaped head, a strong mind, a team that will pamper him, it's important, but in the face of Lewis Hamilton it's far from enough. Nico Rosberg, although not one-armed, struggled for three seasons to overcome the British phenomenon. He exhausted himself so much trying to get to the level of the three-time world champion that he lost his faith. Title finally in his pocket, once the euphoria of victory had passed, a great feeling of emptiness came over him. Bloodless, he threw in the towel. And nothing suggests that the Finn is better equipped than the German in the sensitive areas of the mind and emotion. In any case, he achieved promising performances at the Barcelona winter tests, keeping pace with his teammate.

Fast, experienced, level-headed, he has all the qualities to impose his personality on the team and prove himself to Lewis Hamilton. He also has the advantage of joining a team masterfully managed by his mentor Toto wolff. The latter, it is certain, will do everything to facilitate his acclimatization by avoiding putting too much pressure on his foal. In this transfer, the Austrian got very wet. It was he who managed to convince Claire Williams to let his top pilot go. For her to agree to go look for the retired Massa, she must have obtained something important in exchange... All this to say that Bottas arrives in a rather favorable environment and this is a significant asset.

Discover the challenges of the 2017 season in the Guide F1 AUTOhebdo, still available in digital version on all platforms and on kiosks.