Bottas: Summer break a "good deadline" for decision on F1 future
Valtteri Bottas believes the Formula 1 summer break would be a "good deadline" to get a decision on his future with Mercedes and stop it becoming a distraction.
Bottas is currently in his fifth season racing for Mercedes in F1, having routinely agreed one-year contract extensions with the team, the most recent of which expires at the end of the 2021 campaign.
Mercedes is set to be a focal point of the driver market silly season for next year as both Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton are out of contract, as is Mercedes junior George Russell, who currently races for Williams.
Hamilton has already suggested that he would like to continue racing in F1 next year with Mercedes, pinpointing the summer break in August as a time by which he wants a new deal to be agreed.
Mercedes was quick to sew up Bottas's future last year, announcing his new contract for 2021 at the beginning of August after just four races of the delayed season.
Bottas said on Wednesday ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix that while he was not thinking too much about his future yet, the summer break would be a good point by which to have a decision made.
"Honestly, it's always better earlier," Bottas said. "I've had contracts [signed] early, I've had contracts too late that it almost becomes a distraction.
"But to be honest, I haven't really thought about it yet. And that's an honest answer.
"I'm really just focusing on these races now and that moment when we start to talk it will come eventually.
"For sure about my future, yes, I think August break is normally a good deadline. But to be honest I don't want to think about it yet.
"I just want to win races, that's the only thing on my mind at the moment."
Bottas has failed to win any of the opening four races of the 2021 season, scoring only half of teammate Hamilton's points total.
Should Hamilton remain with Mercedes, Bottas's primary rival for the second seat is likely to be Russell, with the pair having spent one race at teammates in Sakhir last year.
Russell stepped in after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19, and managed to lead Bottas for the majority of the race before a late puncture and pit error cost him a likely victory.
Russell said on Wednesday that he wants a multi-year deal with whichever team he races for next year.
Related video
Hamilton has "done well" to avoid F1 incidents with Verstappen
Why Villeneuve failed to repeat his father’s Monaco F1 success
How getting sacked from Benetton made Mercedes' Allison
He’s had a hand in world championship-winning Formula 1 cars for Benetton, Renault and Mercedes, and was also a cog in the Schumacher-Ferrari axis. Having recently ‘moved upstairs’ as Mercedes chief technical officer, James Allison tells Stuart Codling about his career path and why being axed by Benetton was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
The remarkable qualities that propelled Kubica’s F1 comeback
It’s easy to look at Robert Kubica’s second Formula 1 career and feel a sense of sadness that he didn’t reach the heights for which he seemed destined. But as Ben Anderson discovered, performance and results are almost meaningless in this context – something more fundamental and incredible happened…
The humbling changes Ricciardo made to deliver for McLaren
From being lapped by his own teammate in Monaco to winning at Monza, it’s been a tumultuous first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo. But, as he tells STUART CODLING, there’s more to the story of his turnaround than having a lovely summer holiday during Formula 1's summer break...
The potential benefits of losing the F1 constructors' title
As the battle continues to rage over the F1 2021 drivers' championship, teams up and down the grid are turning their attentions to the prize money attributed to each position in the constructors' standings. But F1's sliding scale rules governing wind tunnel and CFD use will soften the blow for those who miss out on the top places
The invisible enemy that's made Hamilton's title charge tougher
After winning his past few Formula 1 titles as a canter, Lewis Hamilton currently trails Max Verstappen by eight points heading into the final double-header of 2021. Although Red Bull has been his biggest on-track challenge, Hamilton feels that he has just as much to grapple with away from the circuit
Why F1's inconvenient penalties have to stay
OPINION: Quibbles over the length of time taken by Formula 1's stewards over decisions are entirely valid. But however inconvenient it is, there can be no questioning the importance of having clearly defined rules that everyone understands and can stick to. Recent events have shown that ambiguity could have big consequences
The mistakes Red Bull cannot afford to repeat in F1 2021's title fight climax
OPINION: Red Bull has had Formula 1’s fastest package for most of 2021, but in several of the title run-in events it has wasted the RB16B’s potential. It cannot afford to do so again with Lewis Hamilton motoring back towards Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings with two rounds remaining
Qatar Grand Prix driver ratings
Qatar was a virtual unknown for most as Formula 1 made its inaugural visit to the Gulf state, and tyre management quickly emerged as an even more critical factor than normal. Perhaps then it should come as no surprise that two of the championship's elder statesmen produced standout drives