Bottas crucial to driver changes for 2016 - Massa

Felipe Massa considers that wherever his Williams team mate Valterri Bottas will be racing next year, it will probably unlock a series of driver gyrations amongst the Formula 1 teams.

On the back of an impressive showcasing of his talent this year, and last season as well, Bottas has been linked to a move to Ferrari where he would effectively replace his countryman Kimi Raikkonen.

But regardless of this coming to fruition or not, Felipe Massa believes his team mate holds the key when it comes to next year's driver changes.

"I think he is one of the most important names on the market," the Brazilian commented on Formula 1's official web site. "He shows he is a good driver, he has the talent to drive in a top team, and he shows he can do well, whatever team he is racing for. That's why all the teams are interested to get him."

Ferrari's interest notwithstanding, Bottas is still contracted to race for Williams in 2016, so any subsequent move to Maranello would only be rendered possible if the Scuderia agreed to pay a hefty fee to the Grove team in exchange for its driver's services.

On the subject of his own future, Massa, who also has an option to race at Williams in 2016, expects to remain with the British outfit.

"I am happy where I am," he said. "Sometimes it's not just money or things like that making a difference. You need to understand what you are doing, where you are and how happy you are. I really like this team - they respect me a lot, I feel relaxed and we have some good results as well. I don't see why things would change."

Both Bottas and Massa have each scored a podium this season. This Finn is currently fourth in the drivers' standings, while his team mate is sixth, just three points behind.

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