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THE race is on to replace Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg, as he stunningly retired from the sport after claiming his maiden crown, leaving his Mercedes team scrabbling to find a team-mate for Lewis Hamilton in 2017.
Despite fans pleading for a dream pairing of either Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel alongside the Briton, it seems much more likely that Mercedes will look elsewhere, with Valtteri Bottas the current frontrunner.
In fact, Mercedes have already made one offer to the Finn’s Williams team, who declined the initial proposal but are believed to be open to further negotiations.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams said that the team would let Bottas leave “if an experienced, credible alternative was available”.
Williams suggested that much-loved and former Bahrain Grand Prix winner Felipe Massa could return, despite retiring at the end of this season.
She said: “Whatever we decide, it must be in the best interests of this team. I’m delighted to see that a team like Mercedes lists Valtteri as a potential replacement for Nico, as we have always known Valtteri is one of the sport’s key talents and are proud that the championship leaders recognise this.
“However, Williams has its own ambitions and we must always ensure we give our team the best opportunity to move forward. Any changes would only be made if Williams remains in a strong position to compete and develop in 2017.
“If we did allow Valtteri to leave, we would only do this if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as someone like Felipe Massa, for example.”
The team, who finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2016, are playing hardball with Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff because he is in a difficult position having to find a team-mate for Hamilton when all the leading names are under contract.
However, it is a sensitive situation because Williams use Mercedes engines and want to keep a good relationship with the German manufacturer. And now Mercedes have expressed an interest, Bottas is keen to take up the opportunity to join a frontrunning team.
Three-time British world champion Hamilton will be consulted about German Rosberg’s replacement, but the final decision will be Mercedes’.
Hamilton explained: “Basically, once they’ve dwindled it down to five drivers - or whatever it is, the shortlist - contractually they have to discuss with me. But I don’t have a say. It doesn’t matter who they put alongside me. I’ll race them. I’m here to race.”
Williams need an experienced driver for 2017 to partner the 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who is making his debut and is said to be bringing financial backing worth as much as £20m. Re-employing Massa could be a good solution for Williams.
Although he announced his retirement from F1 in September, the Brazilian made it clear he wanted to continue racing. Massa made his announcement only after he realised that Williams were going to keep Bottas and sign Stroll and that he was unable to find a similarly competitive car elsewhere.
Furthermore, it could provide a benefit for Williams because the team could use the money it saves on the engine fee and Bottas’ salary to fund technical developments and boost their competitiveness in future years.
Wolff’s first offer to Williams for Bottas was for a reduction of 10m euros (£8.4m) in their engine bill. It is considered likely that Williams will hold out for a figure much closer to the full amount - 17m euros (£14.2m) - to release the driver.
They are aware that Mercedes have money available for the deal because they no longer have to fund Rosberg’s salary - which was set to be in the region of $22m (£17.6m) for each of the next two years.
In a separate deal, Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe is poised to join Williams in a senior management role. Mercedes are set to replace him with the former Ferrari technical director James Allison.
