Hmmm... It looks like Bottas has other ideas.
I was under the impression that Merc gave him a drive so Hamilton could have a partner who's consistent enough to give them a 1 - 2 on each race. A stable partnership. But it looks like we'll have another interesting season for Mercedes.
Bahrain GP Qualifying Times1 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:28.769
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.792 0.023
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:29.247 0.478
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:29.545 0.776
5 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:29.567 0.798
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:29.687 0.918
7 Nico Hulkenberg Renault Sport 1:29.842 1.073
8 Felipe Massa Williams 1:30.074 1.305
9 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:30.763 1.994
10 Jolyon Palmer Renault Sport 1:31.074 2.305
11 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:30.923
12 Lance Stroll Williams 1:31.168
13 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1:31.414
14 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:31.684
15 Fernando Alonso McLaren no time
16 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:32.118
17 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:32.313
18 Sergio Perez Force India 1:32.318
19 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:32.543
20 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:32.900