After a consistent first season with Mercedes, Finnish Driver Valtteri Bottas has been rewarded with an extension of his contract with the championship leading team. This new contract keeps him in the driving seat until the end of the 2018 season.

 

Valterri Bottas, after scoring 9 podiums in 13 races, still had an uncertain future within the sport. That was until today, when it was announced that he will remain with Mercedes for another season.

Bottas is currently 3rd in the drivers championship, with a solid 197 points, and still feeling confident that he can win the title this season. “I believe that I can beat Lewis and Sebastian. I already done both this year. There is no limit for me” He made these comments after explaining that “The team has made it clear, right from the beginning, that we are both treated and respected equally.”

 

During his first season with Mercedes, Bottas has taken his maiden pole position in Bahrain and later his maiden win in Russia. In this season alone, he has already doubled his podium finishes and there are still 7 races left on the calendar.

 

Team principle of Mercedes, Toto Wolff stated that “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.” He later explained that “Overall, the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him into 2018”.

Bottas, himself, commented that “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.” He added that “When the team hired me for the 2017 season, they took a leap of faith by putting their trust in my skills. This new contract for 2018 shows that I’ve earned that trust.”

 

This news comes just days before Bottas and his race-winning Mercedes will take to the track for the only night race of the season. The Singapore Grand Prix will take place on Sunday the 18th of September.

 

Feature Image Credit: “Silver Arrows and Valtteri Bottas together in 2018“

Originally posted on 13th September 2017 for Overtake Motorsport

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