As speculation swells over Valterri Bottas' future, which appears to be tainted in scarlet red, the Williams driver remains focused on his current campaign and his trip to Hungary this week.
The Grove team's form this year has been strong and consistent, on a par with Ferrari, although its drivers have yet to pry an outright win from the clutches of the dominant Mercedes squad.
On the back of a series of solid showings, marked by a podium finish in Canada, Valterri Bottas is expecting another good opportunity to score some big points in Hungary, a venue typically popular with his Finnish countrymen.
"Budapest is a great city and hosts a great race," he said. "There are a lot of Finnish fans living in Hungary, but also many who make the trip for this race weekend so I always have a lot of support - it’s almost a Finnish Grand Prix."
Bottas believes the short and twisty Hungaroring layout should provide a good match for the inherent qualities of the Williams' FW37 chassis.
"The circuit is very different from the last few because it’s much tighter with more medium and slow speed corners, but our development has been focused on tracks like this and generating higher downforce. We should be looking to have a strong weekend and to build on the good momentum we have built."
As is often the case searing heat may be expected in Budapest, which would render tire management crucial. But rain, which is a fairly common occurrence in the area, could also throw a spanner in the works, and hamper Williams' performance, as was the case at Silverstone.
"We really struggled even when it was damp," Bottas said, speaking to Autosport. "When the speed gets low we just lose downforce. It is an area we really need to work on because we are so much slower than anyone in the wet."
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