Jul.11 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas looks set to stay at Williams next year, according to former F1 driver Mika Salo.
Finn Bottas has been eyeing a move elsewhere for the past couple of seasons, but Salo said Kimi Raikkonen’s new Ferrari deal means Bottas will surely stay put at F1’s fourth-quickest team.
“He no longer has any hurry,” Salo, also a Finn, told the Finnish broadcaster MTV.
“Mercedes is full, Ferrari is full, Red Bull is full. Where else would he want to go when the next team is Williams?” Salo said.
Salo, who drove for F1 teams including Ferrari and Toyota, thinks Williams will also be keen to stick with Bottas for 2017, having developed the now 26-year-old.
“Valtteri is an extremely good driver who fits with the team very well, so I could see them wanting to hold onto him for the next ten years,” he insisted.