Valtteri Bottas on coping with pressure as Mercedes' 2018 options remain open
Valtteri Bottas has a huge chance to prove himself in the world of Formula One as the 27-year-old moves to the Mercedes F1 team to replace outgoing World Champion Nico Rosberg.
However, Bottas only has a one-year contract with the team, and team boss Toto Wolff has admitted to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport that the team is open to considering other options ahead of 2018.
“Of course,” says Wolf. “Nevertheless, we would like the Bottas solution to work and the question of a new driver will no longer be posed.
“But as you can see from Nico, tomorrow’s situation can be different from today’s. We’ll see how Bottas compares with Lewis and how the other drivers are going as well.”
Likewise, three-time World Champion Niki Lauda isn’t concerned.
“I believe [Bottas] is at least as good as Rosberg,” Niki Lauda told Sport Bild. “Nico was able to improve so much, because of the team and the car.
“So you have to see it as a combination of Rosberg and Mercedes. Rosberg alone would not have been World Champion.”
To Bottas’ credit, the Finn has proven that he is no slouch over at Williams, having taken nine podium finishes in his first four years in the sport.
Indeed, Bottas says he is ready to cope with the pressure as he enters his fifth season.
“It would be very easy to take a lot of pressure and stress yourself, but in Formula One I have noticed that if pressure piles up, it only does you harm,” he told Finnish broadcaster MTV.
“My goals are always so high - I set the bar really high - so I believe that if the pressure comes, it is mostly from me rather than the outside.
“I want to win races and championships and in that sense the objective is not changing. I have huge support from the team and that will certainly help me in every situation.”
