Valtteri Bottas has revealed that he is not sure for which team he will drive for next year, although the smart money is on the Finn staying with Williams but the the Grove outfit are taking their time on making a decision regarding their 2017 driver line-up.
Bottas told ESPN, “I don’t, but it’s interesting. I feel positive about things and things are definitely developing. One thing is for sure, I know I am going to be racing, but which team is not sure yet.”
With Felipe Massa retiring, Bottas is sure to share a garage with a new face, “It’s a fact that I am going to have new teammate whatever happens, but I can’t say much more than that really. I’m pretty pleased with how things are moving forward.”
Teenage Canadian Lance Stroll is currently undergoing a $20-million intensive F1 testing programme, using a 2014 Williams, in what is his preparation for a Formula 1 season. The question is whether he will make his debut in 2017 or a year later.
Bottas would be a good mentor for Stroll, should the son of billionaire Lawrence Stroll be promoted to Formula 1 straight from Formula 3.
But Bottas is also looking out for other opportunities on the grid, “I think we’ve had some great moments with Williams together and I think we have more we can achieve together. We definitely want more and we want to win races together, so yes it would be nice.”
“But of course you need to be aware of opportunities and think about your career in the long term, because I still have a lot of time in Formula One even though there are now a lot of younger drivers than me.”
“I still feel that I am only going to get better and I still have ten years in front of me if everything goes well. It’s all playing for the long-term plan and I need to win races and win championships and for that you need to be with the right team.”
“Having looked at what opportunities there are, then definitely one option is to stay with Williams,,” added Bottas.
The top four teams – Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren – have confirmed their drivers, which leaves Bottas with few options better than Williams, although the 27 year old might look at Renault who are still in the building phase of their new F1 programme, but do have pedigree and firepower to become a front-runner in the future.
“At the top at least for next year it seems quite closed, but who knows what is going to happen next year and what kind of places there are going to be or the year after next? You can’t just predict those things and how they are going to go, so for me personally it is going to be massively important every race,”
“Wherever I will be racing next year will also be important for my future. It’s Formula One and I wish I had a crystal ball to see what is going to happen, but you just have to keep pushing to get the good results,” concluded Bottas who has not won a grand prix in 71 starts.
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