Ferrari has agreed a fee with Williams to sign Valtteri Bottas in 2016, according to a report in Corriere della Sera.
Bottas has been linked with a move to Maranello to replace Kimi Raikkonen, who has an option for 2016 which Ferrari would need to take up. F1i understands Ferrari had approached Williams about signing Bottas in recent weeks, with reports in Italy now claiming a release fee of €12million has been agreed.
Speaking exclusively to F1i at the British Grand Prix, Bottas said Ferrari and Mercedes were the only two attractive options on the grid other than remaining at Williams.
If the report is correct, the move would spell the end of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari career and is likely to mean the end of his time in F1. Raikkonen has previously insisted he is not looking at other options, saying earlier this year: "If I am not with Ferrari, I am not with any team".
It has been easier for Ferrari to judge the potential of Bottas than many other drivers on the grid as he has been paired with former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa over the past two years, finishing 52 points clear of his Williams team-mate last year.
If Bottas is set to leave at the end of the season, Nico Hulkenberg is understood to be top of Williams' list to replace the Finn, with the 2015 Le Mans winner having previously raced for the team in 2010.
F1i view
Bottas seems like the perfect fit for Ferrari. Calm, composed, young and very, very quick. Sebastian Vettel has been impressive so far this year and will feel he is team leader if a new team-mate comes in, but Bottas would keep him very honest.
In terms of Raikkonen, his performances have really not been anywhere near consistent enough during his second Ferrari stint, but the timing of such a deal would be strange. Maurizio Arrivabene wanted to keep the 2007 world champion motivated, which will be very hard to do if the team has signed a replacement this early in the year.
If the switch is confirmed, the main question becomes who replaces Bottas at Williams, and a potential cash windfall from the sale of Bottas would allow the team to continue to focus on talent alone. Nico Hulkenberg has to be favourite, but the romantic in me would love to see Jenson Button end his F1 career where he started it (and take doubts over his future out of McLaren's hands). Alex Lynn is a promising talent and currently Williams reserve, but it seems too soon to promote him if the team is serious about chasing titles in the near future, especially when proven drivers will be knocking on the door.
With all that said, the agreement is between the teams for now and no deal has been agreed between Bottas and Ferrari yet, so this one could run for a while...
Bottas' manager Didier Coton:
#Aces Man, what a morning! The heat wave has reached lots of countries especially Italy. Let's turn on the air conditioning and keep cool.
— Didier_Coton (@didi_aces) July 17, 2015
Click here for F1i's exclusive interview with Valtteri Bottas
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