F1 'laughing' at Wolff's anti-Bottas bias – Popov

Jun.10 (GMM) Toto Wolff’s double standard in relation to his two drivers at Mercedes has become amusingly obvious, according to a Formula 1 commentator.

It is becoming ever more clearer that Valtteri Bottas’ seat is in serious doubt for 2022, as George Russell waits impatiently in the wings.

But according to Alexey Popov, the commentator for Russia’s Match TV, team boss Wolff’s bias in favour of Lewis Hamilton is also becoming very obvious.

“Bottas hinted that maybe he should have a new chassis after Baku, but Toto said ‘no, no – it’s just that Lewis (Hamilton) is so much faster because he believes in the car more,” he said.

“It’s starting to get silly,” Popov continued. “After Monaco, the first thing he (Wolff) said was that because Bottas didn’t line up right, the mechanics couldn’t get the wheel off in the pitstop.

“Then it turned out that he had lined up better than almost everyone else.

“That alone isn’t so bad, but it seems that when Hamilton makes a mistake, Toto says ‘no, no, he accidentally flicked a switch’ and ‘it wasn’t a mistake because he was forced to by Perez’.

“Honestly, everyone has started to laugh at this,” the Russian insists. “Not Bottas, of course, because he feels more and more like an outcast at the team.

“Whatever he does, it’s his fault. If something goes well for him, it’s thanks to the team,” said Popov.