Formula One: Valtteri Bottas staying put at Mercedes in 2018
By Alex Herbst
Stability is king at Mercedes AMG Petronas. The front-running Formula One team will keep Valtteri Bottas as part of their squad in 2018 on a new deal.
Consistency is key in racing, especially when you’re at or near the top of the ladder. Mercedes AMG Petronas knows this firsthand, racing at the top of the Formula One leaderboards for many years now.
That’s due in no little part to their stable of top-notch drivers, including the 2017 pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. And it appears that pair will remain the same for the coming year as well.
Multiple reports now confirm that Valtteri Bottas will be staying with the silver arrows for at least the 2018 Formula One season. The latest flying Finnish driver signed a new one-year deal with the reigning champion team for a second year. Bottas was brought in at the eleventh hour ahead of the 2017 season following the shock retirement of reigning world champion Nico Rosberg.
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Thus far through the 2017 season, few have been surprised by the pace Bottas has shown in the Mercedes ride. While the silver and green cars have faced more stiff competition from Ferrari in the championship hunt, Valtteri Bottas has performed at a level expected of a driver racing with a champion team.
He has already scored two victories in 2017, the first two of his career, in Russia and Austria. Tack onto that an additional seven podiums, and Bottas is certainly aiding in his team’s pursuit of the manufacturer’s title.
Mercedes AMG Petronas team boss Toto Wolff had this to say about keeping Valtteri Bottas for the 2018 season:
"“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.”“There have been ups and downs – more ups, fewer downs – and some great highlights like his two race wins in Russian and Austria. Overall, the balance of his performances and his upward trajectory made it a no-brainer for us to continue with him into 2018.”“For our team, the bonus factors are the respect and sportsmanship that have grown between our two drivers. The chemistry and dynamic between Valtteri and Lewis work and are what we need to take the fight to our competitors.”"
It will be interesting to watch and see if Valtteri Bottas becomes more of a championship contender in 2018. While not fully out of the title tilt currently, one can expect that Mercedes will be pushing for Hamilton to score the championship as the current points leader over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. But could only signing a one-year deal hurt the chances for Bottas, instead being forced to play second fiddle to Hamilton?
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What do you think of Mercedes AMG Petronas keeping Valtteri Bottas as one of their drivers for 2018? Is it a good move or bad call? And will Bottas be driving for the team long into the future, or are changes coming in the near future? Comment below with your thoughts and stay tuned to Beyond The Flag for the latest from the F1 grid.