Formula 1: Valtteri Bottas needs a strong start to the 2019 season

No driver is more in need of a strong start to the 2019 Formula 1 season than Valtteri Bottas, as this season could define his career in the sport.

A wreck in qualifying for the 2018 Formula 1 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, forced Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Valtteri Bottas to start the race in 15th place, and he only rallied to finish in eighth.

But over the course of the next three races, Bottas bounced back. Following second place finishes in the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Chinese Grand Prix, he was in a position to take the lead of the driver standings following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as he led the race with under three laps remaining.

But his chances of even finishing the race then plummeted to 0%, as he ran over a piece of debris, causing the right rear tire of his car to go flat and shred. He left the race trailing teammate and points leader Lewis Hamilton by 30 points (70 to 40).

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He never recovered from that deficit, and the Brackley-based team had no reason not to prioritize Hamilton throughout the rest of the season, which they did on multiple occasions, of which two will be discussed in more depth below.

At this point, Bottas has tallied a total of three victories throughout his two seasons driving for Mercedes. He earned all three of these victories in the 2017 season. He finished in third place in the driver standings in the 2017 season before finishing in fifth in the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, since the V6 turbo hybrid era began in the 2014 season, the next lowest single-season win total for a Mercedes driver is five, and the next lowest finish in the driver standings for a Mercedes driver is second place.

The 29-year-old Finn is justifiably on the hot seat heading into the 2019 season, as this season is one that will undoubtedly make or break his career.

If the three-time Grand Prix winner performs at a high level and helps Mercedes’ chances of winning their sixth consecutive driver championship and their sixth consecutive constructor championship, Mercedes would have no reason not to pick up the one-year option on the one-year contract he signed last summer to retain him through the 2020 season.

But if he doesn’t, there is no reason to believe that Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon will not replace Bottas for the 2020 season if not before the 2019 season concludes, and Mercedes’ decision about the matter may very well be made early in the season, which is exactly why Bottas needs to have a strong start.

If Bottas does not have a strong start to the 2019 season, Mercedes will not hesitate to use team orders to prioritize Hamilton, as they have proven in the past. If this ends up being the case at any point in the season aside of in the last race or two, if even that, this will more than likely be an indicator that Bottas will not be returning to the team next year.

In terms of Mercedes using team orders, the two most notable instances in the 2018 season took place well before the season ended.

In the 12th race of the 21-race 2018 season, the German Grand Prix, Hamilton took the lead after Bottas pit for new tires during a safety car period late in the race. Bottas came out of the pits in second place behind Hamilton.

With only a few laps remaining in the race when this safety car period ended, Mercedes told their drivers to hold their positions, preventing the clearly faster Bottas from challenging Hamilton for the victory. Hamilton won the race while Bottas finished behind him in second place.

Bottas dominated the season’s 16th race, the Russian Grand Prix, before being ordered to let Hamilton pass him for the race lead just before the halfway point. Hamilton went on to win the race with Bottas finishing behind him in second place.

Simply put, a strong start for Bottas in the 2019 season will be key to preventing Mercedes from using team orders to prioritize Hamilton, which is something that simply cannot happen for Bottas to have a chance to return to the team for the fourth consecutive season in 2020.

Will Valtteri Bottas get the strong start that he needs to the 2019 Formula 1 season in this Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix? This race, which is the first of 21 races on this year’s schedule, is scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN from Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia beginning at 1:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 17, so be sure not to miss it.