Valtteri Bottas was in fine form as he drove his Petronas Mercedes to victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. The victory brought the Finn within 15 points of teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Formula 1 world championship standings. Bottas is currently closer to catching Hamilton than Hamilton is to catching the current leader, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Bottas's win has given him the opportunity to be the dark horse in the fight for the championship.
Two wins and counting for Valterri Bottas and Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas has been a quiet but steady player in the 2017 Formula 1 season.
Having taken over the seat at the start of the year from former Champion Nico Rosberg, Bottas has proven to be an asset to the team in more ways than one. Not only does Bottas get along with teammate Lewis Hamilton, a feat Rosberg never accomplished, he also is a competent and skilled driver, capable of holding his own without constant team direction or instruction. In addition, Bottas has found a comfortable balance between being aggressive and careful with the result being unerring precision.
Now that Valtteri Bottas has two wins under his belt he is a possible contender for the World Championship, quite an accomplishment since it is his first year with Mercedes. Bottas is now within 15 points of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton who is 20 points behind the leader, Sebastian Vettel.
The World Championship was previously considered to be a battle that raged only between Hamilton and Vettel but there is a third possibility now that makes the championship, and the racing, more exciting than ever.
Valtteri Bottas hopes to confirm his seat with Mercedes and win a World Championship in one big swoop.
Now that Bottas is starting to prove his worth, the question of his contract is beginning to again be a topic of conversation around the Pit Lane.
The current contract is only for the 2017 season, although it contains several addendums that are not made public. While there are many fish in the sea to choose from driver wise, Mercedes would be hesitant to shake up the winning combination it has in Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The fact that Bottas has already proven himself capable of winning and battling with Ferrari, and even more important, to get along with Hamilton, speaks well for the young racer and his future with Petronas Mercedes. At the end of the day though, what is the one thing that would for sure solidify a good contract for Bottas? A Formula 1 World Championship of course.
