"There comes a time," argued Richard Nixon in a famous phone call to then-US Presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower, "when you've either got to s*** or get off the pot." Differing circumstances aside, for Valtteri Bottas that time is swiftly approaching.
Long contract extensions for Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc at Red Bull and Ferrari respectively have inked in the identities of those teams' lead drivers for the foreseeable future. Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, having "left each other in peace" over the winter according to team boss Toto Wolff, are about to begin their protracted dance towards agreeing a new contract for 2021 and beyond. They are, as Wolff also said, "the obvious pairing going forward".
Assuming Hamilton is a given at Mercedes for at least 2021, where does that leave Bottas? Needing to prove himself as the best number two available, that's what.