“Which driver they want in the other car”– Valtteri Bottas wants clarity on his future with Mercedes amidst contract extension uncertainty.
Valtteri Bottas’ future seems even more uncertain with Lewis Hamilton’s recent contract extension with Mercedes, as the Silver Arrows are speculated to promote George Russell for 2022.
With almost half of the season almost over, Bottas seeks an answer about what Mercedes wants from him, with his contract negotiation talks yet to commence.
“Obviously, I want to get the understanding from the team, what is the plan, which driver they want in the other car. Lewis is confirmed, the other is still free, so the team needs to decide. I need to have that discussion, but I also feel like I have many, many years still left in me.
“I enjoy racing, I love racing, I love F1, so it’s definitely not done to go to another form of sport or motorsport in the coming years,” explained Bottas to reporters in Austria last weekend.
Would I be dropped? I need to know.
Bottas is not dismissing the possibility of his exclusion from his team, but he expects his team to answer as soon as possible so that he can seek other avenues.
“If that was the case that I wouldn’t continue with Mercedes, of course, I would look at other options. But it’s not something I need to think about now.”
“I also have a good management team, and they haven’t told me anything yet. I don’t know if they’ve been in touch with anyone, because they know how important it is to focus on at this current moment and delivering the best we can, as a team and for me personally.”
“And the time will be right soon. I don’t know yet which day, which week. But I think yes, we’ll have to look at all the options and the situation as a whole,” added Bottas.
