Amid speculation, Valtteri Bottas humorously denies contact with Toto Wolff for a Mercedes seat, setting his terms for any potential return.
Has Valtteri Bottas been approached by Toto Wolff to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year?
“No, actually! He must be busy! Nothing so far!” joked the Stake F1 driver.
However, even if Mercedes were to offer him a contract, the Finn wouldn’t return at any price.
Cutting the mullet is one thing… but accepting another one-year contract, no way!
“I would only accept if it was a contract for more than one year.”
“If it was a one-year contract, it wouldn’t make sense to me. But for the long term, of course, there could be a discussion.”
At Mercedes F1, Bottas would also need to adopt a posture, a look, perhaps more professional. Was he not really himself at Brackley?
“Yes, I feel that was somewhat the case.”
“But there are also projects or businesses I’ve gotten into that I wasn’t allowed to do before. For example, the gin brand I started with my girlfriend [Tiffany Cromwell], I wasn’t allowed to do anything that involves alcohol with my previous team. These kinds of things provide opportunities.”
“Formula 1 helps, it’s a sport that allows you to learn a lot about yourself. There are always highs and lows, but you learn a lot about life.”
“In the past, I worked for a big brand, kind of like a company.”
“It’s hard to judge, but if I have to change some things here and there to have a chance to fight for the world championship, then it’s not a problem.”
At McLaren F1, Ron Dennis used to impose a standard hair length on his drivers…
“I wouldn’t like that… That era is over. I think the world is different today, thank God!”
Positive signals at Stake F1?
In terms of sports, how does Valtteri Bottas approach this second Grand Prix, in Saudi Arabia?
The first, in Bahrain, was catastrophic for him: elimination in Q1, then a 52-second stop in the race…
“I also suffered damage on the first lap in the first corner, which, of course, compromised the race. So, yes, the stop would have been nice if it had been a bit faster, but we certainly learned from that. And, yes, we will try to avoid this kind of situation in the future. But looking at the pace, accounting for the damage, everything, in the race, we were in a much stronger position against the competition than on a single lap. So, yes, we have made progress.”
“Within the team, there’s a slightly different feeling. Everything seems different, but the mindset is evolving towards what it should be. So there’s a lot of hope with this current aerodynamic package. There’s still a lot to unlock. I think that’s why people are excited and motivated.”
“We cannot be satisfied with certain results. For example, last weekend’s result. We cannot accept staying there. We always have to try to do more. That’s what you always have to aim for.”
Bottas Sets Terms for Mercedes: No More One-Year Deals. Bottas Sets Terms for Mercedes: No More One-Year Deals
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