Villeneuve: Bottas may be replaced by Ocon during 2019

Bottas finished fifth at Yas Marina last month, last of the Big Three team drivers still running at the end (Kimi Raikkonen retired early in the race) and 48 seconds down on teammate and race winner Lewis Hamilton.

Reduced to Hamilton's wingman and clear number two in the team, this season's stats have been not kind to Bottas, he did not win a single race while his teammate bagged 11 including the one he was gifted thanks to team orders.

Villeneuve said of in an Interview with Sky Italia, "[Abu Dhabi] was embarrassing for Bottas, poor guy. They say his tyres went off, so they stopped him and reported it was a problem with the rubber just to cheer him up."

"There is a danger they will replace him with Ocon during the course of next season. This year he was at the same level he was at Williams."

This season Bottas ended fifth in the championship with 247 points to his name, compared to Hamilton with 408 points scored.

After the Brazilian Grand Prix before the race in Abu Dhabi, Villeneuve was equally scathing, "When you see what the Mercedes was capable of, you just have to look at Lewis, and Bottas wasn't up to pace. It's embarrassing for Bottas."

"Lewis finished around three seconds behind him when he started from the pits. It's embarrassing. He simply is not on the pace of Hamilton. It's been like that all year. That's his level. Which is a good number two."

Asked if he had advice for Ferrari's new kid on the block Charles Leclerc, Villenueve quipped, "For sure he will not be going to Ferrari to be a helper like Bottas."

Before adding, "But it will be difficult for him, he will need to adapt, but the championship is long and you never know. He has the right person at his side - Jock Clear - who will assist him, but it would take a dominant Ferrari to fight for the World Chapionship."

Meanwhile, highly rated Ocon lost out in the Silly Season musical chairs but Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is prepared to have the French 22-year-old on the sidelines next season after promising him a competitive cockpit for 2020.

For 2019 Ocon will be reserve and test driver for Mercedes, while Bottas' contract with the World Champions runs until the end of next year.