MAY 21, 2015

Too soon for Ferrari silly season says Bottas

Valtteri Bottas on Wednesday said the 'silly season' has come too soon.

Valtteri Bottas on Wednesday said the 'silly season' has come too soon.

There was an awkward moment between countrymen Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen on Wednesday, when the latter Finn was asked what he thought of rumours Ferrari is considering replacing him.

"Who knows?" said Raikkonen. "We are both Finns but we don't know each other so well.

"It seems to be every year or every team I am in I am being kicked out or a new contract or whatever," he added.

Bottas, however, told Brazil's Globo on Wednesday that he is not taking the rumours too seriously.

"I'm fortunate to have guys like Toto Wolff, Mika Hakkinen and Didier Coton working with me," he said in Monaco.

"Of course we have discussed what could be better for me, but we need to wait for the market to start moving to get an idea of what the options might be."

Coton, who heads Bottas' three-pronged management, agreed: "The 'silly season' is not open yet, so we are relaxed about it.

"I don't know where the Ferrari rumour came from. It's just a rumour," he insisted, "and I have no idea who started it."

And Bottas, 25, insisted he does not have his heart set on wearing red.

"Drivers always want to have the best car, the fastest car," said the Williams driver. "To win the races.

"I have always liked Williams, but also Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren. I don't have one that is my dream," Bottas insisted.

"I think Williams has everything it needs to build a fast car. We may be limited in the budget, but there are great people in the team and a great wind tunnel.

"As I said, I trust our engineers and this man here," he added, pointing in the direction of technical boss Pat Symonds.

(GMM)