Bottas signs new contract with Mercedes for 2021
Ahead of this weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Mercedes has announced that it has extended Valtteri Bottas’ contract with the team which will see the Finn compete for the reigning world champion outfit for at least a further season.
After several key pieces of the puzzle have been slotted into place on the driver market recently, Mercedes has now confirmed that Valtteri Bottas will stay with the Brackley-based outfit for another year.
After debuting in F1 at Williams in 2013 and driving for four years for the Grove-based outfit, the Finn joined Mercedes in 2017, replacing the then reigning world champion Nico Rosberg. Bottas has taken eight wins with Mercedes so far and finished as runner-up in the championship in the last two years.
The eight-time Formula One winner is „happy to stay with Mercedes in 2021 and build on the success we’ve enjoyed together already,” said Bottas. “Thank you to everyone in the team and the wider Mercedes family for their continued support and their trust in me. I’m very proud to represent this great team and the three-pointed star on our journey together again next year.
“The past few years have been all about continuous improvement, working on every aspect of my performance. I’m confident that today I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, but I can always raise the bar. Mercedes embraces the same philosophy: They always want to get better and are always hungry for more.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff said: “We are very excited that Valtteri will stay with the team for at least one more season. We’re seeing the strongest Valtteri we’ve ever seen this year – in terms of his on-track performance, but also physically and mentally. He is second in the championship, finished the last season in P2 and plays a very important part in our overall team performance.
“I’m confident that we have the strongest driver pairing in F1 today and signing Valtteri is an important first step in retaining this strength for the future. Valtteri is a hard-working, straightforward guy who has a good relationship with the entire team – including his team-mate, which is not a given when both drivers are fighting for the championship,” the Austrian concluded.
