Valtteri Bottas puts an end to speculations and signs with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport for one more season. Toto Wolff proposed the contract extension after the driver won two races and secured nine podiums for the Silver Arrows.
The Finnish driver joined the team in early 2017 and has taken part in 13 races for the Silver Arrows so far, having scored 197 points. Bottas currently holds third place in the drivers’ championship.
Behind the wheel of the Silver Arrow, the 28-year old driver claimed his first wins in Formula 1, in Russia and Austria, as well as his first pole positions in Bahrain and Austria. This season, he has secured nine podiums already.
“We gave Valtteri a big challenge this year: joining the team at the eleventh hour, stepping up to the forefront of F1 and pairing with the sport’s best driver as his team-mate. With that in mind, his results have been probably even more impressive”, says the team’s manager, Toto Wolff. “There have been ups and downs – more ups, fewer downs – and some great highlights like his two race wins in Russian and Austria. Overall, the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him into 2018.”
The team boss is delighted that there is a chemistry between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, something he failed to have in the previous seasons, while Nico Rosberg was driving the Mercedes racing car.
Bottas is happy to know that he has earned the trust of the team that took a leap of faith in 2017 by bringing him into the championship winning squad.
“I am honoured and proud to continue to work with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in 2018 and to remain part of the Mercedes family. Together, we continue to grow stronger day by day, and by keeping up our hard work I believe the sky is the limit,” said Valtteri. “Since joining the team in January, I’ve enjoyed every day working with them. The welcome and the support from every team member and all the fans has been invaluable. As a driver, I’ve been able to learn and grow massively, and we have already enjoyed some really good moments this season that I will never forget.”
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