Valtteri Bottas will be Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate for the 2017 Formula One season after the Finn was chosen to replaced retired world champion Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
Bottas, 27, has signed a one-year contract with the German constructor after four seasons at Williams.
Bottas’s move has also precipitated Felipe Massa’s return from retirement, with the Brazilian signing a new one-year contract to renew his Williams career, while Mercedes’ young driver Pascal Wehrlein, who had been considered a potential replacement for Rosberg, joins Sauber.
“I think Valtteri fits very well in our team, as a driver he’s very fast and he also has his heart in the right place,” said Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes Motorsport, who has been part of Bottas’s management group but has said that he will end this association to prevent a conflict of interest.
“Sometimes unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities. Nico’s decision in December was a big surprise. We see this as another opportunity for the team to grow.”
Advertisement
Hamilton’s relationship with Rosberg was dogged by infighting, with the pair colliding in several races, but Bottas is confident that he will be able to work in harmony with the Briton. “I think we are going to be a strong pair,” he said. “I really respect him as a driver and a person. I’m sure we are going to be close and pushing each [other] forward.”
Bottas has generally impressed at Williams, finishing on the podium nine times, but has yet to win a race.
Massa will join Canadian Lance Stroll, the 18-year-old rookie, at Williams, with the team’s hands having been tied to some extent by their title sponsor Martini insisting that one of the drivers must be older than 25. The Brazilian, 35, announced his retirement at the end of last season, but said: “When I was offered the chance to help Williams with their 2017 F1 campaign, it felt like the right thing to do.”