Bottas coy but “excited” about F1 future amid Alfa Romeo links

On Wednesday, Raikkonen announced his retirement from F1, leaving a vacancy at the Hinwil-based outfit.

With George Russell expected to be given the drive alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Bottas is expected to switch to Alfa Romeo.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Bottas remained coy on his future but revealed that there will be no announcement this weekend.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, same as in Spa,” Bottas said. “Things are going in the right direction, I’m happy and excited.”

Throughout his time with Mercedes, Bottas has only had one-year deals, with an option for an extension.

The Finn is eyeing a multi-year deal to give him much-needed security which in turn will help him to deliver on track, rather than worry about his future during the season.

“A multi-year contract would be nice, that’s something I never had before in Formula 1,” Bottas added. “That way I definitely could give full commitment to the team, knowing that the work will continue.

“It needs to be challenging, it needs to be exciting, it needs to be fun, in an atmosphere I’d really enjoy working in. I think those are really the main things I’m looking forward. Like I said before, I still have quite a few years in Formula 1. I really want to continue in Formula 1, for sure.”

Going into this weekend's Dutch GP, Bottas sits fourth in the championship having not won since Russia last year.

In terms of the balance of power at the front, he expects Red Bull to have the advantage.

“I feel like it’s quite a good track for Red Bull, no doubt,” he explained. “Their car is always good, whereas if it's cambered or off-camber, and it feels their car is a bit more stable on those corners, but we’ll find out. On paper it’s all to play for and we’re going to fight for the win.”