Bottas took ‘good step’ towards 2020 contract

Valtteri Bottas may have ensured Esteban Ocon won't take his seat

(GMM) At Silverstone, Valtteri Bottas took a "good step" towards a new deal to stay at Mercedes in 2020.

That is the claim of his team boss Toto Wolff, even though other drivers are being linked with the plum seat alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Wolff told German television RTL that both Hamilton, the actual race winner, and Saturday's pole sitter Bottas "deserved the victory" at the British GP.

Asked if Bottas has done enough to secure a new contract, Wolff answered: "He took a good step in that direction.

"That was his best performance so far since the beginning of the season," he added. "He does not give up and he has what it takes to go up against Lewis in qualifying on an equal footing."

Wolff is even happy with the way Hamilton and Bottas fought wheel-to-wheel on Sunday.

He told RTL pundit Nico Rosberg: "You trained us well from 2014 to 2016!

"Your rivalry was at a different level. Today was fair, exciting racing," Wolff told Rosberg, Hamilton's former teammate.