Wolff: It's going to be very difficult and Valtteri knows that

Bottas' season of woe is well documented, irrespective of the circumstances the records show he scored zero wins last year while his teammate racked up 11 on his way to a fifth F1 world title, but together they also brought home the constructors' title which justifies the Finn's salary.

But in a recent interview, with MN, Wolff warned, "Valtteri knows exactly where he needs to be. He needs to have all the bad luck gone and perform on a level with Lewis. That is what is needed for 2020. He knows very well that, and he has that in him."

Not helping Bottas' cause is the fact that teammate Hamilton keeps raising his game to impressive heights, his form was ominous and even after he wrapped up the world title he still had the energy to bag the last two wins of the season. It will take a very special effort for a driver to unseat the Briton from his throne at Mercedes.

Add to that, waiting on the sidelines, eager and primed Esteban Ocon - excess to requirements at Force India/Racing Point - the Mercedes junior driver who was promised a competitive F1 seat for 2020 by his boss as he sits out 2019, that seat could well be the one occupied by Bottas.

With regards to Hamilton's ability to raise his game to another level when required, Wolff explained, "Lewis improving means Valtteri needs to improve. I've seen that improvement all the time with him, but you are going against a five-time world champion."

"He needs a start where is right up there with Lewis and all the other drivers for the championship, that is what he needs. We are seeing the best Lewis that I've seen in the last six years, and there is a reason why he is a five-time world champion."

"Beating a five-time world champion at the peak of his activity, peak of his performance, is going to be very difficult and Valtteri knows that. But I think that he has it in him."

"I think that he can win – he has proven it this year on a few occasions, but he had bad luck or was in a position where he could not win."

"I think if that turns into a positive momentum that is actually driving for the championship, I think that Valtteri can win the championship," added Wolff in what sounds like a final 'attaboy' attempt to motivate his beleaguered charge.

The fact that Bottas is no real match for the driver in car #44 also suits Wolff to a certain extent, first and foremost, making management of egos a great deal easier. Nico Rosberg and Hamilton feuding for three or four years was exhausting for the team and nobody wants a repeat of that.

Now, with the clear number one driver status ensconced harmony ensues, thus why break-up a winning combo with Hamilton top gun and Bottas the ultimate wingman? Together they can bring in more constructors' titles, while the five times world champion has full support of his team as he chases Michael Schumacher's record of seven titles.

As it stands it is unlikely Bottas will reduce the gap of about three-tenths of a second he has to Hamilton in both qualy and race mode, doing that on a regular basis even less chance.

The big difference is when needed Hammertime comes into play as it did on a hot Saturday night in Singapore, the #44 Silver Arrow was seven-tenths faster than its sister car. Proof that while Hamilton still rises, his teammate chases.

If Hamilton and Mercedes deliver a similarly dominant performance next season, as they did in 2018, why on earth would Wolff replace compliant Bottas with a young upstart (eg. Ocon) eager to prove himself and at whose expense? It ain't broken, why fix it?