Transfers 2020: the Bottas lock

He knows, obviously. Toto wolff, master of the transfer chessboard, has already made his choice. Perhaps he is reluctant to admit it to himself, perhaps he unconsciously postpones the painful moment when he will have to decide, but he knows deep down who Valtteri Bottas orEsteban Ocon will have the honor, the advantage and the heavy task of competing in the 2020 campaign alongside Lewis Hamilton.

“The choice is difficult, was blowing again this weekend by Gwen Lagrue, head of the “young pilots” program at the Stuttgart firm. We have all the answers we need and it's not one good or bad Grand Prix or one less or more simulator session that will change things. Valtteri has done excellent work on the track since the start of the season and Esteban's contribution to the team's success has been no less good. We are perfectly aware that they both deserve this steering wheel, and it is heartbreaking to have to decide. But we gave ourselves a timetable at the start of the year and we will respect it. »

Fixed at the summer break, the latter is coming to an end. The decision will therefore be made in the coming days on criteria that are kept secret but where the concepts of “enjoying the present” or “preparing for the future” will necessarily be important. For now, the only certainty is that what will be decided at Brackley will stay in Brackley, at least for the immediate future. No doubt the time to ensure the future of those left behind in order to announce at the same time the name of the winner and the fallback solution for those not selected.

Can this solution be the same for both? We can even imagine that a Bottas on the market could create new opportunities. At the forefront of the stables likely to welcome the Finn or the Frenchman is the stable Haas whose difficult 2019 financial year seems to indicate that it is reaching the end of a system and must find another path. The arrival of a new driver could help it, whether it is the solid Bottas if it has the means to afford it or the promising Ocon.

“Even if I am convinced that Esteban is quite capable of donning the Mercedes costume, indicated Lagrue in Budapest, his promotion involves an element of risk for his career that it would be stupid to ignore. Giving him more time to continue to develop also makes sense. We must not lose sight of the fact that we have a generation of very young drivers on track who are here for a few years. Esteban will one day fight for the title with Mercedes or another team, that's a certainty. » One way to outline Wolff’s choice…

Ocon awaits its anchorage

Like Haas, the team Renault must also continue to solidify its position on the grid while thinking about preparing for the future and, here again, the two Mercedes drivers have assets as different as they are attractive for the French structure which we imagine however more interested in the young Frenchman. Racing Point could also have been another interesting base for the two men, especially for the Normandy driver again, but the presence of Mexico City on the 2020 calendar strengthens the position of Sergio Pérez. “The team’s ambitions are great and it would be good to reach a long-term contract”, explained the Mexican driver in Hungary while the decision of his sponsors to extend or not depended greatly on a Mexican Grand Prix on the calendar.

If he had disappeared, Robert Kubica, close to Lawrence Stroll, would have had a golden opportunity to pursue an adventure F1 which is likely to end at the end of the season. Not because of the comparison with prospect George Russell, but because of the probable arrival of the Canadian Latifs, currently in F2 at Dams and in the running for the title. If necessary, Ocon would also have a chance to Whole grained, but what interest would the Mercedes team have in putting its two foals in competition?

If the choice of the essential Toto concerning Bottas and Ocon attracts all the spotlight, it should not obscure the other questions of a paddock both fearing and hoping for a “Force 12” burst capable of taking everything away. A gale named Hag for example, who some see retiring. A rumor swept aside by his boss Mattia Binotto last weekend who does not doubt in the least the presence of the quadruple world champion within the walls of Maranello in 2020. The other question concerns more the second seat Red Bull that the successes of Max Verstappen make them more and more attractive.

gasly clings to his buoy

If Pierre Gasly does not reverse the trend during the second half-season, the Anglo-Austrian team will not keep him and Helmut Marko could be tempted to look for Daniil Kvyat who is no longer ready for a return trip in Milton Keynes. Those who dream of a Verstappen-pairAlonso explosive can on the other hand take out their handkerchief since Honda will never forgive the Spaniard for his violent past attacks and Red Bull will never put such a disruptive element in the wheels of its favorite driver. If the Russian were to return to the team for which he competed in 21 Grands Prix in 2015-2016 with two podiums to boot, Gasly could possibly return to Faenza, but it would be a mistake not to take into account the Japanese firm's desire to bring an in-house driver into F1. As such, the EL1 that Super Formula star Naoki Yamamoto could compete in at Suzuka next October should not be minimized.

If the name of Kvyat made a spectacular comeback in the “silly season” thanks to the surprise podium recorded at Hockenheim, that of Hulkenberg did not escape despite the big German blunder of the person concerned. Although it seems unlikely that Nico will lose the confidence of the Renault team and its general manager Cyril Abiteboul, it nevertheless appears at the top of Haas Racing's "shopping list" with the Ocon-Bottas duo whose destiny is linked.

In fact, for the moment, of all the drivers on the grid, the most vulnerable seem to be Romain Grosjean and Robert Kubica. The Frenchman more than the Pole who can count on the support of his financial partner Orlen to keep his seat. The overall package that the Krakow native can present to Williams is more solid than that of Nicholas Latifi – current reserve driver – because in addition to the financial aspect, Robert contributes enormously to the technical progress of the team. If George Russell was able to shine in Hungary, it is also thanks to the work done by Kubica and the Williams management is very sensitive to this.

Sunday evening in Hungary, if some let themselves slide carelessly down the gentle slope of summer, it was also to forget for a few days the steep slopes that await them in the coming weeks.