Many different names have been floating around as potential replacements for Nico Rosberg at the Mercedes F1 team for 2016, but two of the most popular choices seem to be Valtteri Bottas and Pascal Wehrlein.
Although, for those not too familiar with Formula One, these may be two completely random names, fact is that they are both drivers who have made a huge splash in their short time in the sport.
Valtteri Bottas:
Valtteri Bottas drove for the Williams F1 team during 2016. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Valtteri Bottas drove for the Williams F1 team during 2016. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Nationality: Finnish
Age: 27
Starts: 77
Podiums: 9
Valtteri Bottas has been one of the top young guns in the sport for the past few seasons. Over the past 10 years, he has been working his way up the junior open-wheel ranks, winning the GP3 Series in 2011. By this time, he was already a test driver for the Williams F1 Team, and he was finally able to secure a racing seat full-time with the team in 2013, where he got his first points-paying finish at the U.S. Grand Prix. Since then, he has stood on the podium nine times, including two back-to-back second place finishes at the 2014 Great Britain and German grands prix. All 77 of his F1 starts have been with Williams.
Pascal Wehrlein:
Pascal Wehrlein drove for the Manor F1 team during 2016. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Pascal Wehrlein drove for the Manor F1 team during 2016. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Nationality: German
Age: 22
Starts: 21
Podiums: 0
While Pascal Wehrlein, having just raced for one season in F1 with the Manor F1 team, may not have the stats that Bottas has, it would be wrong to say that he is not qualified for a top F1 ride. The German driver broke several records over in DTM from 2013-2015, becoming the youngest race winner during the 2014 season and youngest champion in 2015. Wehrlein has been a test driver for the Mercedes F1 team since 2014, and so landed a ride with Manor when the team switched to Mercedes power for the 2016 season. He impressed by passing several cars early on in his debut at the Australian Grand Prix, and was able to advance to Q2 on several occasions throughout the season. Additionally, Wehrlein scored Manor’s only point of the 2016 season with a 10th-place finish at the Australian GP.
So, who would you sign as Nico Rosberg’s replacement for 2017?
