Paul Jeffrey
Premium
The AMG Mercedes team have confirmed Valtteri Bottas will remain with the outfit for the 2018 Formula One season.
Following a very solid start to life with the Silver Arrows, Finnish star Valtteri Bottas has been confirmed as a Mercedes Formula One driver for the 2018 season, extending his one year contract with the squad in a deal Mercedes chief Toto Wolff described as a "no brainer".
Bottas has shown impressive pace in his time with the Silver Arrows this season following his last minute move to replace retiring champion Nico Rosberg alongside Lewis Hamilton, immediately showing strong form and winning his first Grand Prix on just his fourth start for the team in Russia, backing that performance up with another victory at Austria and his run of nine podium finishes from the opening 13 rounds of the season. Heading into this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, Bottas sits just 44 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, a driver many regard as one of the finest in the current Formula One field.
Of the announcement confirming Bottas' retention for the 2018 season, the 28 year old Finn remained characteristically low key and argued he still has plenty more performance to unlock for the remainder of 2017 and beyond;
"When the team hired me for the 2017 season, they took a leap of faith by putting their trust in my skills. This new contract for 2018 shows that I’ve earned that trust.
"I’m happy to have celebrated my first race wins in a Silver Arrow. However, there’s always room for improvement and I still have not shown my full potential.
"I will continue to work hard on and off the track, to further improve my driving, get even better results and show that putting their trust in me was the right decision.
"As a driver, I’ve been able to learn and grow massively, and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this season that I will never forget.
"I’ve been very impressed by the mentality, commitment and the team spirit this team holds. Partnering Lewis has also been really good, and I’m enjoying the respect we have and the will to push this team forward together.
"I want to thank all the board members, the people at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth as well as the race team and all the fans for their support and trust. It means a lot to me."
Although Mercedes haven't explicitly stated the length of the new contract for Bottas, it is thought that the contact is for just a single year, with options for both parties to extend should performances meet expectations during the coming season."I’m happy to have celebrated my first race wins in a Silver Arrow. However, there’s always room for improvement and I still have not shown my full potential.
"I will continue to work hard on and off the track, to further improve my driving, get even better results and show that putting their trust in me was the right decision.
"As a driver, I’ve been able to learn and grow massively, and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this season that I will never forget.
"I’ve been very impressed by the mentality, commitment and the team spirit this team holds. Partnering Lewis has also been really good, and I’m enjoying the respect we have and the will to push this team forward together.
"I want to thank all the board members, the people at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth as well as the race team and all the fans for their support and trust. It means a lot to me."
The deal locking in Bottas at Mercedes closes off the final top team seat in Formula One for the year ahead, with just Toro Rosso looking to fill the second seat alongside Daniil Kvyat and a potential vacancy at Williams should the team elect to drop Felipe Massa, added to a somewhat fluid situation around the Sauber drive occupied at present by German driver Pascal Wehrlein.
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What do you make of the performances from Valtteri Bottas this season? Has the Finn done enough to deserve a contract extension with Mercedes for 2018? Let us know in the comments section below!
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