“People are trying to make up stories just for the clicks” – The Mercedes 2022 seat saga rumbles on as Valtteri Bottas confirms he hasn’t been dropped by Mercedes to be replaced by George Russell.
Valtteri Bottas remains defiant despite the inevitability of George Russell replacing him at Mercedes next season. Speaking ahead of the French GP, Bottas confirmed that hasn’t been dropped by Mercedes, yet, terming it as speculation.
“I can’t confirm that. At least no one has told me that so that is not true. That is speculation and I am sure there are all kinds of speculation that is not based on any facts. People are trying to make up stories just for the clicks. That is how it goes.”
Valtteri Bottas to Williams?
The current situation of Bottas at Mercedes feels eerily similar to Sebastian Vettel’s at Ferrari last season. The Italian giants finalized Carlos Sainz as their new driver for this season without even informing Vettel about it, leading to a bitter ending to his stay with the team.
While Vettel had options at his disposal and ended up signing for an exciting Aston Martin project, Bottas’ options are limited. With Esteban Ocon extending his deal at Alpine, the only viable option for the Finn is a return to his old team Williams. But he asserted that he is focusing on this season, and not thinking too far ahead.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet that deeply, honestly. Obviously, you can’t always block the noise that is around and every season it is the same thing, the same questions, and the same speculation. That is part of the sport so I think it is a bit too early yet for me to answer that in detail.
“We haven’t really yet discussed anything about [a] contract with Mercedes and that will come eventually. Now the focus is for this triple-header and we will see then maybe after at some point. But not much more to say at this point.”
