Valtteri Bottas insisted that “I still have a few more years in Formula 1” and has outlined the four things he would like from his next contract. It is speculated that Bottas, 32, will be replaced by George Russell at Mercedes in 2022.
The British driver put in a remarkable performance at Spa last weekend, qualifying second in an uncompetitive Williams car, and Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said the decision on who will drive alongside Lewis Hamilton next season had already been met privately.
However, he added that nothing would be disclosed until the missed driver found a team for the next season.
This has been widely interpreted to mean that Mercedes is waiting for Bottas, who joined them in 2017, to sign a contract elsewhere.
Regardless, the Finnish rider has now set the four most important conditions that he would want in his next contract, regardless of which team he is on.
“A multi-year contract would be nice. I’ve never had that in Formula 1, ”he said. “In any case, I was able to give the team a good, full commitment, not just for this year, but with the knowledge that the work will continue.”
JUST IN: Lewis Hamilton endorses George Russell for Mercedes – “The Future”
Bottas accidentally added fuel on social media this week. Many fans assumed that a picture he shared of his new Mercedes AMG GT Black Series was a cryptic post related to his future.
But Bottas has since made it clear that the purchase was simply a gift to yourself.
“I already ordered the car last winter because it was a fairly limited edition, and with this paint job it even has Niki’s red star on the car,” said Bottas, referring to the special star that Mercedes has had on its cars since it was handed over has attached the three-time world champion Niki Lauda.
“I paid full price for the car myself, I didn’t get a discount. So it wasn’t a gift. “
Bottas spent four years at Williams before moving to Mercedes in 2017 to replace Nico Rosberg and has since helped the team win four consecutive constructors’ titles.
If he moves to Alfa Romeo, he will replace his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, who announced his retirement at the end of the season on Wednesday.
The post Valtteri Bottas lists four demands for the signing of a new F1 contract | F1 | Sports first appeared on monter-une-startup.
