Bottas’ future remains in the spotlight as Russell is likely to replace Finn alongside Lewis Hamilton next season.
Should Mercedes decide to leave Bottas, his best bet is to stay in F1, a return to Williams or possibly a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo.
Outside of Formula 1, Bottas has shown great interest in rallying, as he has driven in the Arctic Lapland Rally every year in the winter off-season since 2019.
In the run-up to the British Grand Prix this weekend, Bottas continues to focus on getting a driver in F1 for next year, ideally with Mercedes.
On the subject of matching items
“First of all, I don’t like to think that way, I always try to think positively,” said Bottas. “I know what I want, I want to stay on the team, I think this is the best chance for me to win races next year and fight for the title. If for some reason I’m not there, I would look at other options in Formula 1 because I love Formula 1, I enjoy it and I think I have a few good years ahead of me here.
“And then never say never. Rally? I don’t know, I really enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun every time I was in a rally car, I always had a smile, it was a lot of fun, but making a job of it could be pretty difficult because the guys there are pretty competitive. But never never say anything about anything, like I said, but first and foremost I will concentrate fully on Formula 1 and, for the time being, on this weekend. “
On the subject of matching items
Bottas admitted that the prospect of relegation to a midfield team is “quite interesting” but admitted that he would have to adjust his expectations as he most likely won’t fight for regular wins or podiums as he has done for Mercedes since 2017 Has.
“When you think about it like that, it’s all very hypothetical, but I’ll be really honest,” added Bottas. “Yeah, it would be a different way of thinking, it would be a whole new chapter in my career, so the mental approach should be very different.
“I probably wouldn’t fight for wins and the title, at least at the beginning, so it would be a fresh start. On the other hand, it could be quite interesting, but like I said, you know what my intention is to keep my seat because I think we’re a really strong team at Mercedes now, the way we are, so we are will see.”
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