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Ten-time race winner Valtteri Bottas has rejected the possibility of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for a single-year contract. Hamilton shocked the driver market early in the season when he announced his surprise move to Ferrari in 2025.
It has also split the driver market wide open. With Hamilton leaving Mercedes, there's a seat vacant at one of the top teams. For a long time, it was expected that teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli would take it.
However, the Italian is quite green and is yet to make the jump from FRECA to F2 and skipped F3 altogether. Moreover, his rookie season in Formula 2 hasn't been that impressive.
Some of that is owed to Prema, the team he's racing for in F2, as the squad has struggled to get a hold of the new regulations. However, while Antonelli has one sprint win in F2, there are question marks over the level of experience he has gained.
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With Mercedes boss Toto Wolff boss keeping options open when it comes to Lewis Hamilton's replacement in 2025, Valtteri Bottas is one name that has popped into contention.
Bottas, though, has made it clear that he's looking for a long-term project and not a single-year makeshift role. As Mercedes will inadvertently want to give Antonelli the role Lewis Hamilton had at one time (of a team leader), the vacancy would be for only a year. Talking to mirrorsport, Bottas said:
“Filling a place for one year, I don't think that is what I want or need at the moment. For next year, I want something multi-year with a clear plan for the years ahead and work together for that time."
He added:
“I think that's what I need, a good challenge and a clear plan. If I just do one year, then you're back to square one again and looking at what's next. I'm good friends with Toto, so, of course, we've talked about everything.”
Lewis Hamilton's former teammate Valtteri Bottas looking for long-term security
Talking about his F1 future and his career in general, the Finnish driver admitted that he would love to have job security again. During his Mercedes stint, Valtteri Bottas talked about how the one-year contract extensions aren't the most helpful for him.
When he moved to Alfa Romeo/Sauber, he was on a three-year contract with the team, giving him long-term security. Expressing that it's something he would want once again, Bottas said:
“It would be nice to have security. But I always knew when I signed everything that, in three years, it will be the same thing again.
"It's kind of exciting as well, in the end, if there is a change. I'm fine with the situation - it's been interesting - but I want to get it sorted soon. Then I'll be even happier again.”
With Valtteri Bottas taking his name out of contention, it will be interesting to see which drivers throw their names in the ring as Mercedes try to zero in on Lewis Hamilton's replacement.
