Wolff: We asked Hamilton's opinion on 2020 teammate

The Briton has won four Formula 1 titles for them since he signed on the dotted line and during that period he has had two teammates in the form of Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas.

The former retired after his one-off 2016 championship triumph while the latter has failed to match his illustrious teammate and finds himself contesting for the hottest seat in racing with Esteban Ocon.

Furthermore, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has indicated that Hamilton's 2020 teammate is the option of Bottas the team player, a known quantity who keeps the team harmonious and effective, delivering exactly as a number two should.

Or, the other option, Ocon - who has been promised a seat on the grid in 2020 by Wolff - an unknown quantity in a big team where he will arrive to make a name for himself alongside the established superstar but, at the same time a potentially explosive partnership which may not be in the best interests of the team.

Nevertheless, time marches on and it's almost decision time for the World Champions.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolff explained the situation, "We make this type of choice solely on the basis of team interests. But Lewis has been with us for a long time, so, I submitted our narrow list to him, asking for his opinion and he thinks exactly like us, both of them deserve to be his teammate for him."

While the smart money is on Bottas being retained, Wolff was not saying as much, "It is a difficult decision because I have known Valtteri since Formula Renault and Esteban since he made his name in Formula 3.

"It is great to give a young person a chance. In the recent history of the F1 only two drivers immediately shone with a top team: Lewis Hamilton with McLaren (2007) and Max Verstappen with Red Bull (2016).

"The latter was very good at giving Max the necessary time to grow, first at Toro Rosso and then for two years at Red Bull. At Ferrari or Mercedes, the pressure was very high pressure... Having said that, they both deserve the place."

As for when the F1 world can expect an announcement, Wolff said, "We have already talked too much about this subject with the media, I do not want to set dates. Let's say we will decide within a few weeks."

Inevitably the "Fernando Alonso" question was asked, to which the Mercedes team boss replied, "Fernando is undoubtedly one of the strongest drivers and after his adventure at Ferrari he no longer had the opportunity to drive a competitive car. Due to a series of circumstances, the top teams already have their 'alpha' driver."

"Sometimes it's not enough to be good at driving, you also need to have the right circumstances and because we don't want to repeat of what happened when two were together at McLaren," added Wolff.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/07/26/wolff-ocon-deserves-to-be-in-f1-like-bottas-deserves-to-be-at-mercedes/