Bottas: Summer break a ‘good deadline’ for F1 future decision
Valtteri Bottas believes the Formula 1 summer break would be a "good deadline" to get a decision on his future with Mercedes and stop it becoming a distraction.
FIA Pool
Bottas is currently in his fifth season racing for Mercedes in F1, having routinely agreed one-year contract extensions with the team, the most recent of which expires at the end of the 2021 campaign.
Mercedes is set to be a focal point of the driver market silly season for next year as both Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton are out of contract, as is Mercedes junior George Russell, who currently races for Williams.
Hamilton has already suggested that he would like to continue racing in F1 next year with Mercedes, pinpointing the summer break in August as a time by which he wants a new deal to be agreed.
Mercedes was quick to sew up Bottas's future last year, announcing his new contract for 2021 at the beginning of August after just four races of the delayed season.
Bottas said on Wednesday ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix that while he was not thinking too much about his future yet, the summer break would be a good point by which to have a decision made.
"Honestly, it's always better earlier," Bottas said. "I've had contracts [signed] early, I've had contracts too late that it almost becomes a distraction.
"But to be honest, I haven't really thought about it yet. And that's an honest answer.
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, and Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
"I'm really just focusing on these races now and that moment when we start to talk it will come eventually.
"For sure about my future, yes, I think August break is normally a good deadline. But to be honest I don't want to think about it yet.
"I just want to win races, that's the only thing on my mind at the moment."
Bottas has failed to win any of the opening four races of the 2021 season, scoring only half of teammate Hamilton's points total.
Should Hamilton remain with Mercedes, Bottas's primary rival for the second seat is likely to be Russell, with the pair having spent one race at teammates in Sakhir last year.
Russell stepped in after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19, and managed to lead Bottas for the majority of the race before a late puncture and pit error cost him a likely victory.
Russell said on Wednesday that he wants a multi-year deal with whichever team he races for next year.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
How ‘demanding’ Alonso has started life with Aston Martin
Bottas: Sauber's F1 pitstop issues may not be fixed until after China
Bottas “slowly getting the ball rolling” on F1 future talks
The high-stakes design theory that Sauber hopes is key to 2024 F1 progress
Honda targets F1 title bid with Aston Martin from 2026
Martin: Bagnaia still MotoGP title favourite in 2024 but fight is wide open
The off-track action that makes the Miami GP an F1 race like no other
Ireland’s bid to rejoin the WRC in 2025 halted
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Ranking Derek Warwick’s top 10 greatest races
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments