Official: Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for 2017, Felipe Massa replaces him at Williams
As announced a few weeks ago, Valtteri Bottas joins Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg. Over at Williams, Felipe Massa returns to replace him after announcing his retirement at the end of 2016.
It was no longer much of a secret, but now it’s official: Valtteri Bottas has indeed been chosen by Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired after becoming the 2016 world champion. The three-time world champion team preferred to secure the services of the Finn through lengthy negotiations with Williams rather than promote their third driver, Pascal Wehrlein, who only has one year of experience at the back of the grid with Manor.
Moreover, the fact that Toto Wolff, director of Mercedes F1, is part of Valtteri Bottas’ management alongside Didier Coton and Mika Hakkinen certainly helped with this signing. This recruitment effectively ends this relationship to avoid any conflicts of interest, as stated by Wolff himself.
The director of Mercedes stated: « Valtteri is full of common sense, down to earth, straightforward, and very focused. Very Finnish, to be honest, which suits us very well. He has an impressive track record in the junior categories and nine podiums in F1. But now it is time to step up to the next level, to see how he can elevate himself and fight for victories and the championship. »
Valtteri Bottas began his Formula 1 career in 2013 with Williams. He stepped onto the podium 9 times in 77 races. The Nordic driver will face a significant challenge in having to compete against Lewis Hamilton in the reigning three-time world champion team. It’s also an opportunity not to be missed in a career, because if Mercedes continues to lead, he could fight for the world champion title.
To replace him, the Williams team decided to bring back Felipe Massa for an additional season to replace Bottas, even though he was initially supposed to retire. The team needed his experience to develop their car and support the young Lance Stroll, who would begin his Formula 1 career in 2017.
The Brazilian thus continues the course of his long career in the premier category where he has already competed in 250 Grand Prix since his first season in 2002. Massa has achieved 11 victories, secured 16 pole positions, and climbed the podium 41 times. He finished as the world vice-champion in 2008. The Paulista joined Williams in 2014, resulting in five podiums and one pole position in Austria that same year, 2014.
