Mercedes sign Bottas to 'multi-year' deal
Mercedes sign Bottas to 'multi-year' deal
Mercedes have completed their driver line-up for the 2019 season after committing Valtteri Bottas to a "multi-year" deal. News of the Finn's new contract comes a day after Mercedes confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will remain with the team through to the end of the 2020 campaign.
As with Hamilton, Bottas had been widely expected to put pen to paper on a new deal, with Mercedes happy to snub a potential move for Daniel Ricciardo in order to keep last season's constructors' title-winning team in place.
Bottas took three grand prix victories in his first year with the Silver Arrows. Although he has not won a race so far in 2018, that can be put as much down to his poor luck than any errors behind the wheel.
A certain win in Baku was taken away when he suffered a late puncture, and he might have won in China too, if not for a poorly timed safety car.
Hamilton has long made clear that his preference would be to continue with Bottas, the pair enjoying a fairly frictionless relationship - a great contrast to Hamilton's previous relationship with Nico Rosberg.
A post shared by Mercedes-AMG F1 (@mercedesamgf1) on Jul 20, 2018 at 12:50am PDT
Bottas is initially contracted for the 2019 season, although Mercedes revealed that an option for 2020 has been installed into his contract - a show of faith to a driver who had previously only signed contracts one year at a time.
"It is great news that I will be racing for Mercedes in 2019," Bottas said. "And it is nice to announce it here in Hockenheim - not just the home race for Mercedes but also the circuit where I took my first ever single-seater wins back in 2007.
"This year, with a full winter of preparation, I have been able to make a good step forward - and I believe that there is still more to come.
"We have not been so lucky in the races this year but the team knows how I am performing, and this is a great sign of confidence in me and my driving.
"I enjoy working with the team, and also being team-mates with Lewis - we have a good relationship, honest and straightforward, and always aiming to get the right results for Mercedes.
"We have a big battle on our hands right now, so it's good to have the future clear for everybody - it means we can have a full focus on the championship fight.
"Obviously, my goal is to keep performing at a high level - and to make it a no-brainer for the team when it comes to deciding their plans for 2020 as well."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Alonso reveals MISTAKE cost him in shock Red Bull battle - Top three verdict
- 7 minutes ago
F1 star accuses team-mate of ‘crossing the line’ in battle
- 52 minutes ago
F1 team lodge FIA PROTEST over Chinese Grand Prix qualifying result
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton in 's*** happens' outburst after huge China failure
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Alonso hit with China PENALTY as Hamilton endures Shanghai nightmare
- 2 hours ago
F1 star PENALISED following controversial Chinese GP incident
- 3 hours ago
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860