Wolff outlines Bottas targets to earn long-term Mercedes deal

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the emphasis is on Valtteri Bottas to demonstrate he deserves a long-term deal by delivering the required results for the end of the 2017 Formal 1 season and heading into 2018.

Bottas was handed a new one-year deal to stay at Mercedes for next season after impressing in his maiden year with the German manufacturer having been signed as a last-minute replacement for the retiring Nico Rosberg.

With two pole positions, two wins and eight additional rostrums results Bottas sits third in the F1 drivers' championship but has struggled to match team-mate Lewis Hamilton having finished ahead of the three-time F1 world champion in just five out of 15 races so far this season.

In recent races Bottas has been hampered by a weak set-up and feeling with his Mercedes which has forced the Finn into drastic changes to rediscover his confidence and sweet spot with the W08.

Bottas was thrilled to re-sign for Mercedes for 2018 but had been aiming to secure his long-term future having only been handed a one-year deal. Mercedes boss Wolff has explained what Bottas needs to produce in order to receive a lengthier deal but is pleased to see the Finnish driver’s progress so far this season.

“It’s all in his hands, he just needs to drive fast and score good results,” Wolff said. “The dynamics between the drivers and the drivers and the engineer team is great so that is positive and it’s about competing on track and being fast.”

Bottas’s one-year deal brings him on to the same cycle as the majority of the top F1 race seats with Hamilton, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen plus Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Daniel Riccarido all on contracts which will expire at the end of the 2018 season. Sebastian Vettel recently signed a new three-year deal to stay at Ferrari until the end of 2020.