02/09/2021
NEWS STORY
Linked with a return to Williams or even Alfa Romeo, Valtteri Bottas admits that he is seeking a multi-year deal.
With Mercedes likely to confirm George Russell as Lewis Hamilton's 2022 teammate at Monza, all that remains is where Valtteri Bottas is heading.
Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff has consistently said that were Russell to get the seat alongside the seven-time world champion, it would be dependent on securing a decent drive for the current incumbent.
However, the options are strictly limited, with only Williams and Alfa Romeo appearing to have a vacant berth at present.
Wherever he may end up, what matters to the Finn, following a string of annual contract extensions, is that he has the security of a multi-year deal.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," he replied when asked about his destination for 2022 at Zandvoort today, before adding: "I don't want to say much more.
"Things are going in the right direction," he continued. "I'm happy and I'm excited.
"A multi-year contract would be nice," he said. "That's something I've never had before in Formula 1. That way, it could definitely give a good, full commitment to the team, not just that year, but knowing that the work continues.
"It needs to be challenging, it needs to be exciting," he added. "It needs to be fun in an atmosphere that I really enjoy working with. I think those are really the main things I'm looking for.
"Like I said earlier, I still have a good few years in Formula 1 and yeah, I really want to continue in Formula 1 for sure."
Earlier in the week, the Finn took to Instagram to post a picture of his brand-new Mercedes-AMG GT sporting the Black Arrows colours.
While some read this as a commitment to the German team signalling that he was staying, others saw it as a parting gift from his current employer.
"I can honestly say I ordered the car last winter already because it was quite a limited edition," laughed the Finn.
"And with that paint job, also was quite limited duration," he added. "I even got the Niki red star on the car... and I paid the full price for the car myself, I didn't get any discount! So it was not a gift."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Zandvoort, here.