Valtteri Bottas will partner up with reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton again for the 2021 Formula One season after the Finn and Mercedes signed a new deal.
Ahead of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend, Bottas and Mercedes confirmed the news on Thursday ahead of the first session of Free Practice.
“I'm very happy to stay with Mercedes in 2021 and build on the success we've enjoyed together already,” Bottas told Formula1.com.
“The past few years have been all about continuous improvement, working on every aspect of my performance.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says that Bottas is in the form of his career.
“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 said on Formula1.com
“Valtteri is a hard-working, straight-forward guy who has a good relationship with the entire team – including his team-mate, which is not a give when both drivers are fighting for the championship.”
Bottas joined the Silver Arrows before the 2017 Formula One season and has since won eight races and featured on 39 podiums. It would have been 40 had it not been for his puncture at Silverstone last weekend.
“The puncture last weekend was a bit of a blow in my fight with Lewis, but I'm determined to come back strong this weekend on the same track.” Bottas said.
He sits 30 points behind Hamilton, who currently leads the championship after four rounds of the 2020 championship.