Singapore — Finland’s Valtteri Bottas will stay at Mercedes next season, the Formula One champions say. Bottas joined from Williams in January after Lewis Hamilton’s previous team mate, Germany’s 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, decided to retire within days of winning the title last November. The 28-year-old has won two races so far this season, in Austria and Russia, and is third in the standings with a 41 point gap to championship leader Hamilton. The extension was widely expected after four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel signed a new long-term deal with Ferrari last month, removing a leading candidate for the job. "We gave Valtteri a big challenge this year: joining the team at the 11th hour, stepping up to the forefront of F1 and pairing with the sport’s best driver as his team mate," said team boss Toto Wolff in a statement. "With that in mind, his results have been probably even more impressive... the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.