The giveaway that Bottas is resigned to Russell's arrival - MPH

“He will definitely play a role in our future line-up. He just has to have trust and patience,” said Toto Wolff to RTL recently when asked about George Russell’s place in Mercedes’ plans. “Today we are concentrating on our two drivers, Valtteri and Lewis. This is our regular team. We will see what the future brings.”

It was a message the Mercedes boss re-emphasised at the launch of the team’s car on Tuesday. “The future is very bright for George. He doesn’t need to be concerned.”

At that same launch, Valtteri Bottas sounded like a man already coming to terms with the idea that this could be his final season in a title-contending car and that he needed to make the most of it.

“When I get to the last race in Abu Dhabi, I want to look back and say that I did 100 per cent, I did every single bit that I could to win the title; that’s the ultimate goal for this year. That is going to be the same for all the people around me, whoever I’m working with, I’ll demand as much as I feel like I need to, to get the support and get the information that I need, and maybe that way, I can be a bit more selfish. One year in a lifetime, giving everything that you have, is actually quite a short time.”

There’s none of the impervious, dismissive sheen, that Teflon front that most drivers have, about Bottas. Although his range of physical cues denoting emotional low or high is narrow, his mood is usually quite easy to read regardless. He doesn’t give false readings, he gives subtle ones. On Tuesday he seemed a curious mix of resolve and resignation. Reflective ahead of the battle and maybe knowing already what the outcome is likely to be. But ready to dig deeper than ever before regardless. As the song says, One more cup of coffee for the road. One more cup of coffee before I go. To the valley below.

Because, with Russell in the wings driving in the final year of his Williams contract, maybe only the world title could rescue Valtteri’s Mercedes seat. And how likely is that when Lewis Hamilton is your team-mate?

He’s not even bitter about it. It’s almost as if he’s outside of the situation looking in when he says, “I get it. I kind of get it, if the team has the opportunity for the big change [of regulations] coming in 2022, to have options, to choose both of their drivers, I think it’s good for the team. But honestly, from my side, no rush really. I’m just full gas for the season and trying to get to my goals.”