Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas Stays On As Hamilton’s Teammate For 2020

Even though Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon has long been touted as Bottas’ replacement for 2020, the German outfit have squashed any such rumors by sticking with their current drive lineup beyond this season.

According to team boss Toto Wolff, it was Bottas’ strong form at the beginning of the year that led to him keeping his seat at Mercedes – which means he’ll have another shot at the title next season.

“For 2019, we set Valtteri the challenge of coming back even stronger than we saw him in the first part of 2018 – and he has achieved that, with some really impressive performances in the early races this year,” explained Wolff. “Although it has been his most successful first half of a championship so far, he is hungry for more and determined to keep on improving and raising his level. That’s the mindset we want from all our team members.”

The Finn truly did kick the 2019 F1 season off with a bang, winning the season-opener in Australia, before scoring consecutive second-place finishes in Bahrain and China, plus another win in Azerbaijan.

Also read: Esteban Ocon Rumored To Replace Nico Hulkenberg At Renault In 2020

While he hasn’t won since then, Bottas is still tied with his teammate for most pole positions this year, and his overall consistent performance has him 2nd in the Driver Standings, 7 points clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

“I am very happy and proud to be part of the team for a fourth season and wish to thank every team member and the board of Mercedes for their trust and belief in me,” said Bottas. “My performances have been getting better and better each year, and this is a great way to kick start the second half of 2019.”

“My overall target is to become Formula One world champion. I believe that on paper, and from my experience with the team, Mercedes is the best option for me to achieve that goal in 2020.”