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Bottas says "uncomfortable" situation feels normal to him
Valtteri Bottas says that racing with no guarantees about his Formula 1 future feels "normal" to him, despite Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saying the Finn was in an "uncomfortable" situation.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Jun 22, 2017, 2:14 PM
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Bottas was signed as a late replacement for Nico Rosberg over the winter, but Mercedes only wanted to give him a single-year deal so it could better assess his form as he stepped up to a leading seat.
Speaking at the FIA Sport Conference in Geneva this week, Wolff suggested that the situation was not easy for Bottas because he was still in effect racing for his future.
"Of course it's an uncomfortable situation for him with quite some pressure," said Wolff.
"When we decided to make Valtteri the offer, he knew that we would be taking our time with the decision going forward because the driver market is more open in 2018 and beyond – 2018 and 2019."
But talking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Bottas said he did not feel too worried about matters – and revealed the team had assured him of the timeline for decisions to be made about his future.
"I feel normal because every single year for me in F1, I have had the same situation," explained Bottas, who took his maiden grand prix win in Russia.
"I've had no idea at this point what is going to be next year, so for me it is a normal situation.
"I know some kind of plan when they are planning to have things sorted, but that is between us. There is no rush."
Bottas expects talks regarding his future to begin soon though, as he was well aware that if Mercedes did not keep him then he had to know what was going on elsewhere.
"I don't know when I will know [for definite]. The timeline is quite flexible, but like I said there is no rush really. For sure the discussions will be opened soon, because as a driver at some point it is always nice to know what you will do next year. But it is still a bit early days for that.
"For sure I am keen to have a long term relationship with Mercedes, that is my target, and that is why every day I work hard and try to make the most out of every single situation."
When asked if, in light of the Mercedes situation, he had begun talks with other teams, he said: "No."
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