Rosbergs replacement

[Nitrodaze]

Right from the off, Bottas has been Mercedes biggest (possibly only) target.
1. He is experienced and reliable
2. He is quick (given decent equipment)
3. He is laid back and cool, so he can cope with the BS from Hamilton
4. Williams is a merc team, so prising him away will be quite a simple task as Williams want to keep Merc happy
5. Massa will come back to keep and experienced driver alongside the rookie. Massa only retired because at the time Williams had signed Stroll and Bottas already had a contract. There was no (or very little) bad blood between Massa and the team

Bottas is quick but not in the league of Hamilton as we would find out next season. He is not defensively strong as we have found a number of times last season. The Redbull drivers would not be too bother being behind Bottas even in a Mercedes because they know they can have him. He would get better as his partnership with Hamilton would be great for him. He would learn alot and see how Hamilton prepares his campaign for his driver title. Bottas would be learning the car and fitting into the Mercedes culture in 2017, hence much is not really expected from him besides ensuring that he tries to attain a second place behind Hamilton for a Mercedes one two.

In open market, Bottas may not be the first choice, that honor would go to either Alonso or Vettel. But in the circumstances, he is the best option above Wehrlein.