» Bottas stays put for 2021

Valtteri Bottas has inked a contract extension to remain at the Mercedes-AMG team for the 2021 Formula 1 season.

The Brackley squad and its driver jointly announced his re-signing on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Finnish driver joined the team in 2017 as Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate from Williams following Nico Rosberg’s sudden decision to retire after he clinched the World Championship title in 2016. Bottas has played a significant role in helping Mercedes-AMG remain unbeaten in the Constructors’ Championship, claiming eight wins over his three years with the squad and finishing runner-up to Hamilton in last year’s Drivers’ Championship standings.

“I’m very happy to stay with Mercedes in 2021 and build on the success we’ve enjoyed together already,” Bottas said of his re-signing.

“Thank you to everyone in the team and the wider Mercedes family for their continued support and their trust in me. I’m very proud to represent this great team and the three-pointed star on our journey together again next year.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff added: “We are very excited that Valtteri will stay with the team for at least one more season.

“We’re seeing the strongest Valtteri we’ve ever seen this year – in terms of his on-track performance, but also physically and mentally. He is second in the championship, finished the last season in P2 and plays a very important part in our overall team performance.

“I’m confident that we have the strongest driver pairing in F1 today and signing Valtteri is an important first step in retaining this strength for the future.

“Valtteri is a hard-working, straightforward guy who has a good relationship with the entire team – including his team-mate, which is not a given when both drivers are fighting for the championship.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to raise the bar together with us this year and in 2021.”

Bottas’ re-signing paves the way for the team to confirm it will also extend its current contract with Hamilton.

2021 FIA Formula 1 Championship – Confirmed Driving Line-ups (to-date)
Team	Drivers
Mercedes-AMG	Valtteri Bottas	Lewis Hamilton*
McLaren Mercedes	Daniel Ricciardo	Lando Norris
Red Bull Racing Honda	Max Verstappen	Alexander Albon*
Aston Martin	Sergio Pérez	Lance Stroll*
Scuderia Ferrari	Charles Leclerc	Carlos Sainz Jr.
Renault Sport	Fernando Alonso	Esteban Ocon
Scuderia AlphaTauri	TBA	TBA
Alfa Romeo Racing	TBA	TBA
Williams Racing	Nicholas Latifi	George Russell
Haas F1 Team^	TBA	TBA