Bottas on the way to Ferrari
According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello’s sport reports, Valtteri Bottas will be a Ferrari driver in the next season of Formula 1.
Apparently, Maranello team won’t opt to renew the contract with Kimi Raikkonen for another season. That option doesn’t expire until the end of July, so there won’t be an official confirmation of Bottas’ deal at least until the 31st of July, the newspaper said.
The same source also mentions that 25-year-old Bottas has agreed to a deal worth around 12 million euros per year to become a Ferrari driver, along with Sebastian Vettel. If the story is true, Scuderia will probably have the strongest pair of drivers in Formula 1.
Kimi Raikkonen, still one of the most popular drivers in Formula 1, hasn’t yet met the expectations this season and speculations about his status in Ferrari are doing the rounds.
On the other hand, his compatriot Bottas is seen as a perfect match with Vettel. The racer from Finland is still awaiting his career’s first victory, but is considered to be a very reliable driver as he won 267 points during two and a half seasons in the Formula 1.
In the next couple of weeks or so, we should expect an official confirmation of the deal which potentially could be a trigger at the drivers market at the end of the season.