Valtteri Bottas has not denied he might be looking to take Kimi Raikkonen's place at Ferrari for 2016. Raikkonen, who struggled last year, remains under contract to the Maranello team for this season, with an 'option' still in place for 2016. When asked about that at the Jerez test, the Finn answered: "It's up to me and the team to do a good job this year. If it goes badly and I don't sign it then I don't sign it."
Fellow Finn Bottas, who is managed in part by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, currently drives for Mercedes-powered Williams. The Grove team is keen to keep Bottas on board, having groomed him from a test driver into what Pat Symonds thinks is a potential F1 great. Technical boss Symonds has worked with great champions including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, and thinks Bottas is in the same title-obsessed mould. "These are very encouraging words from him," said Bottas.
It may ultimately prove difficult for Williams to hold onto Bottas, however, given that while the British team shone in 2014, its budgets cannot compete with the true F1 grandees. The 25-year-old's form last year reportedly earned him the interest of Ferrari, but Wolff has also said Bottas is close to the front of the queue should Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton not stick together beyond 2015.
When asked about Ferrari's apparent interest, Bottas said: "I don't know anything about Kimi's contract. All I know is that I want to be in the quickest car available," he told F1's official website. "That's all I can say." (GMM)
Bottas not denying interest in seat at Ferrari
- Published on 06 Feb 2015 16:05
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
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Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 631
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 204
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (45)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 188,072 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name Williams
- Base Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- Jacques Villeneuve 1
- Logan Sargeant 2
- Ayrton Senna 2
- Jacques Villeneuve 3
- Nicholas Latifi 6
- Jacques Villeneuve 6
- Nico Rosberg 7
- Nico Hülkenberg 10
- Nico Rosberg 10
- Jenson Button 10
- Pastor Maldonado 12
- Pastor Maldonado 16
- Nico Rosberg 16
- Nico Rosberg 16
- Valtteri Bottas 17
- Lance Stroll 18
- Pastor Maldonado 18
- Felipe Massa 19
- Alexander Albon 23
- Sergey Sirotkin 35
- Nyck de Vries 45
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- George Russell 63
- Valtteri Bottas 77
- Robert Kubica 88
- 161,828 comments on Williams
- 39 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Williams
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