Bottas slams 'clickbait' Mercedes F1 exit rumours

After his disappointing Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, there were a series of media reports suggesting that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has informed Bottas that he will be replaced by George Russell for 2022.

Ahead of this weekend’s French Grand Prix, Bottas was asked if there was any truth to the rumours, where he replied: “You know, with Toto we speak often, that's normal for us. And we've also spoken lately.

“That's normal. But that I can't confirm that, at least nobody told me about that, so yeah that's not true, that's speculation, and I'm sure there are all kinds of speculation that is not based on any facts, you know, people are trying to make up stories, just for the clicks, you know, that's how it goes.”

With Esteban Ocon confirmed at Alpine for a further three years, Bottas’ options outside of Mercedes are very limited, with a return to Williams his most likely alternative option.

The Finn admits he has yet to consider a ‘plan B for next season.

“I haven't really thought about it yet that deeply, honestly,” Bottas added. “Obviously, you can't always block the noise that is around, and it's every season is the same thing. And same questions and same speculation, that's part of the sport.

“So, I think it's a bit too early for me yet to answer that in detail. We haven't really yet discussed anything about a contract with Mercedes, and that will come eventually. And now, it's just really the focus for this triple header, and we'll see that after maybe at some point, but not much more to say at this point.”