Valtteri Bottas has received a dreaded vote of confidence — from the boss of Mercedes’ rivals!. Bottas is on a one-year contract and is under pressure from George Russell, the 23-year-old Briton who excelled when filling in for Lewis Hamilton last year. As Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday, some Mercedes engineers are losing faith in the Finn, who is 37 points behind Hamilton after three races. Asked if he thought Bottas could be axed mid-season, Horner said: ‘Valtteri has done a great job over the last few years. I’d be surprised if they did switch Valtteri and George around.’. A struggling Bottas would suit Horner as he tries to deny Mercedes an eighth consecutive constructors’ title.

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