Valtteri Bottas will continue to race for Mercedes in 2019

After renewing Lewis Hamilton's contract for a whopping Php 2.8 billion-a-year deal, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has announced that his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, will also continue to race for the Silver Arrows. The 28-year old Finn has signed a one-year contract extenstion for the Mercedes F1 team with an option to extend for a further year until 2020.

“It is great news that I will be racing for Mercedes in 2019 and it is nice to announce it here in Hockenheim – not just the home race for Mercedes but also the circuit where I took my first ever single-seater wins back in 2007. This year, with a full winter of preparation, I have been able to make a good step forward – and I believe that there is still more to come. We have not been so lucky in the races this year but the team knows how I am performing, and this is a great sign of confidence in me and my driving,” said Bottas.

Bottas first joined the Silver Arrows back in 2017 after his contract with the Williams F1 team ended. Since joining the Mercedes F1 team, the Finn has scored 3 Gran Prix victories and secured 5 pole positions. The team also credits him for helping securing Mercedes' fourth consecutive constructor's championship. Currently, he sits in fourth place overall in the 2018 World Drivers' Championship with 122 points.

Apart from his performance this season, Mercedes also says that he and Hamilton are the strongest driver pairing in the sport today.

"We have a big battle on our hands right now, so it’s good to have the future clear for everybody – it means we can have a full focus on the championship fight. Obviously, my goal is to keep performing at a high level – and to make it a no-brainer for the team when it comes to deciding their plans for 2020 as well,” added Bottas.