Valtteri Bottas says Lewis Hamilton wants him to stay with Mercedes F1

Mercedes F1 driver Valtteri Bottas says teammate Lewis Hamilton told him the sport’s dynamic duo shouldn’t be separated from Mercedes for the 2022 Formula 1 season and beyond.

It is speculated that Williams will replace F1 driver George Russell Bottas at Mercedes next year, although Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says he has yet to make a final decision.

“We have to choose between the stability of Valtteri and the talent of George,” said Wolff of “Bild am Sonntag”. “I would like the question of where the future lies to be dealt with in September so that both can position themselves correctly for the coming season.”

According to Bottas, he is supported by seven-time world champion Hamilton, who is already under contract with Mercedes for 2022 and 2023. Bottas joined Mercedes from Williams after the 2016 season. He landed in the top 5 of the overall standings with Mercedes every season and was runner-up in 2019 and 2020.

“Yes, Lewis told me straight away that he wanted me to be his team-mate,” Bottas told Finnish media company MTV Sport. “Together we can do very well, but the fact is that the drivers don’t have much influence on these decisions. Behind it is a larger machine that ultimately makes these decisions. “

Bottas says he’s used to the annual uncertainty about his next contract.

Valtteri Bottas (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right) have been teammates at Mercedes since 2017.

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“Every year is the same story,” he told the Iltalehti newspaper, the Helsinki evening paper. “You just have to learn to live with it. In this business, the skin thickens all by itself. At the moment it is not clear what will happen and I think there will be no more news for weeks at least for the next couple of years. Let’s see.”

Bottas, who is fourth in the F1 standings (only behind Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris), could either keep his place with Mercedes or end up with Alfa Romeo, Williams or even Aston Martin. It is this side open.

“I can’t say who we’re going to speak to and what’s going on, but things are being discussed so we can find the best option for next season,” said Bottas.

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