Formula 1: Valtteri Bottas confirmed at Mercedes for 2020

Valtteri Bottas is set to return to Mercedes for the 2020 Formula 1 season, which his set to be his fourth consecutive season driving for the team.

As speculated, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport have confirmed that Valtteri Bottas is set to return to the team for the 2020 Formula 1 season.

The 30-year-old Finn has driven for the team since the 2017 season when he replaced 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, who retired just days after winning the 2016 title, as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate.

Bottas signed a one-year contract extension with the Silver Arrows in July of 2018, and this contract contained an additional one-year option.

There had been talk of Mercedes potentially promoting reserve and test driver Esteban Ocon to Bottas’s seat, but they ultimately decided against it.

https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/1167014295080755201

Here is what Bottas had to say about the matter, according to Mercedes.

"“I am very happy and proud to be part of the team for a fourth season and wish to thank every team member and the board of Mercedes for their trust and belief in me. My performances have been getting better and better each year, and this is a great way to kick start the second half of 2019.“My overall target is to become Formula One world champion. I believe that on paper, and from my experience with the team, Mercedes is the best option for me to achieve that goal in 2020. We have nine races to go this season and I am determined to keep improving at every one of them. Now, all my thoughts are on Spa and delivering a strong performance with the team this weekend.”"

Here is what Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff had to say about it.

"“For 2019, we set Valtteri the challenge of coming back even stronger than we saw him in the first part of 2018 – and he has achieved that, with some really impressive performances in the early races this year. Although it has been his most successful first half of a championship so far, he is hungry for more and determined to keep on improving and raising his level. That’s the mindset we want from all our team members.“The results we have achieved together with Valtteri are no coincidence: he has been an integral part of our championship success in the past two seasons, his teamwork with Lewis has been exemplary and he has shown real strength of character in how he has responded to setbacks. I’m delighted that he will stay with the team for another season at least – and look forward to seeing him raise the bar even further.”"

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The re-signing of Bottas sets up a move for Ocon to potentially replace Nico Hulkenberg at Renault next season, a possibility that Wolff and Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul have discussed on multiple occasions.

In his three seasons driving for Mercedes thus far, Bottas has competed in 53 races. He has earned five victories, recorded 30 podium finishes and taken 10 pole positions after entering the 2017 season with just nine podium finishes in 77 races over the course of four seasons driving for Williams.

Driving for the Brackley-based team, Bottas has led 374 of the 3,107 laps that he has completed. His average starting position is 3.40, and his average finishing position is 4.25. He finished in a career-high third place in the driver standings in the 2017 season, and he finished in fifth in the 2018 season.

Through the first 12 races of the 2019 season, Bottas sits in second place in the driver standings behind Hamilton with two victories, nine podium finishes and four pole positions. He has led 103 of the 737 laps that he has completed. His average starting position is 2.33, and his average finishing position is 3.75.

The signing of Valtteri Bottas appears to be the first major domino of what could turn into quite an interesting 2020 Formula 1 Silly Season.