Valtteri Bottas’ season has been terrible, and his future at Mercedes is in doubt, so Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix on a track that suits him looks like a good place to start.

On Friday, though, the Finnish driver’s Formula One weekend began with yet another disappointment. For an unusual pitlane incident in the second practice, he was given a three-place grid penalty and two penalty points.

Bottas attempted to leave in second gear after changing tires, but he lost control of his Mercedes due to excessive wheel spin. Bottas managed to avoid a group of McLaren mechanics in front of the next box when the car spun.

Bottas showed glimpses of his greatest driving during the first practice session, setting the fastest times in the first two sections before breaking the track limits in the final corner, making his lap time invalid.

The mishaps reflect his season so far.

Bottas sits in fifth place in the drivers’ standings with 59 points, less than half of teammate Lewis Hamilton’s 119 and 72 points behind the leader, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, due to a combination of his own mistakes, poor strategy calls by the team, and sheer bad luck.

In the first seven races of 2021, the Finn has failed to finish in the top two, his worst start to a season since joining Mercedes in 2017.

Bottas’ only prior season with his current team without a win at this stage of the championship came in 2018, despite four second-place finishes.

Mercedes is concerned about the issue, as it has yet to decide between Bottas and Williams driver George Russell for the second position after Hamilton next season.

While Mercedes has opened talks with seven-time champion Hamilton to extend his contract, Bottas is being kept in the waiting seat.

“When I speak to Valtteri, it’s open, when I speak to George, it’s very much open, because I don’t want to have any hidden agendas,” team principal Toto Wolff said on Friday, before the second practice.

“We need to evaluate the situation. Valtteri had some really good weekends but he also had some off weekends and we just need to minimize those. And then we will take a decision.”

The uncertainty for 2022 is “not a new situation for me,” Bottas said.

“Everyone knows how this sport works: If you make results, you will earn a (seat). If you don’t make results, if the team feels they need to change the driver, then they change the driver. It’s very simple in this sport.”

At the very least, Bottas has Hamilton’s backing, who called him as “a fantastic teammate I.don’t necessarily see that needs to change.”

Bottas, who is known for his laid-back style, got into a tiff with Mercedes’ one-stop strategy for the French GP last week, shouting expletives over the team radio.

Bottas later clarified that his outburst was not a sign of tension between him and his teammates a few days later.

“There is no issues. Those kind of situations, they are normal,” he said. “We are not in a tea party, we are in an elite top sport. I want to do well and I want the team to do well, so there’s emotions.”

The doubleheader in the Austrian Alps this and next weekend provides a glimmer of hope for Bottas, as the Red Bull Ring is a track that suits him.

“It’s a place that I really enjoy. I remember, seven years ago, I had my first ever F1 podium here with Williams and I’ve won it a couple of times and normally being always up there,” said Bottas, who won the Austrian GP in 2017 and again last year.

“So, I am confident coming into this weekend. I see no reason why, personally, I shouldn’t be strong. So that’s my mindset.”

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