Valtteri Bottas claims Mercedes ‘is still a strong team’ despite losing key figures like James Vowels and Mike Elliott

Mercedes has not been seen in the world championship fight since 2021.

Valtteri Bottas claims Mercedes ‘is still a strong team’ despite losing key figures like James Vowels and Mike Elliott

Valtteri Bottas (Planet F1)

Valtteri Bottas, the former 10-time Grand Prix winner, departed from the Mercedes F1 team at the end of the 2021 F1 season. Since then, he has been doing his trade in F1 for Alfa Romeo(Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber) but while the sport is at a standstill, he has taken the time to talk about his Mercedes’s chances in the upcoming year.

The Brackley-based-Mercedes F1 team has not been able to challenge for the world championship since the end of the turbo hybrid era. Under the new regulations, the team has struggled immensely and has not been able to produce a car anywhere near the kind that Red Bull has produced in the last two years.

Moreover, Toto Wolff and Co. lost two key members in the form of James Vowels and Mike Elliott this year. Valtteri Bottas was recently asked about the team’s chances of fighting for world championships again and while talking about the same, he mentioned his opinions.

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I think they can. I think they still do have great people, it’s still a strong team. They have a good leader in the team, good drivers, so I see no reason why not. I mean the only thing is it’s extremely difficult now to beat Red Bull.
Valtteri Bottas spoke about Mercedes’ chances of returning to their winning ways, via Express.co.uk.

Looking at the reaction of the 34-year-old, it is quite clear that despite Mercedes’s key losses, he firmly believes that they can bounce back in the upcoming years. Bottas thinks that there are still enough good people on the German team who can change the fortunes of the team and bring it back into championship contention.

Mercedes could be seen fighting for the F1 world title in 2024

While Valtteri Bottas has backed Mercedes to get back into the fight at the front end of the grid, there are some chances that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could be seen fighting for the title in 2024. There is a growing belief in the F1 paddock about Mercedes producing a strong car for next year.

Mercedes (Credits: Motorsportweek)
Mercedes (Credits: Motorsportweek)

Moreover, Toto Wolff has also quite recently admitted that they are changing pretty much every component of their 2024 car. Hamilton expects the Mercedes crew to deliver next year and the work is currently going in full swing in their factories regarding the same.

The Mercedes F1 team has a rich history at the pinnacle of motor racing that is full of several accolades. Keeping in view the number of titles they have won since 2013, it will be fascinating to see what kind of machinery they would be able to come up with for next year’s campaign of the sport.

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