Bottas owes his Mercedes drive to Finnish sponsor!

Valtteri Bottas has Finnish sponsor Wihuri to thank for his plum drive this year with Mercedes, says team boss Toto Wolff.

Wolff said that had Wihuri not switched its support from Williams to Mercedes, Bottas would probably not be racing a Silver Arrows this season, let alone have achieved his first Grand Prix win.

"Yes, without it we would have put Pascal Wehrlein with Lewis Hamilton," Wolff is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"Antti Aarnio-Wihuri made it possible for us to move Valtteri to us," he added.

"Valtteri certainly has other very important partners, such as Kemppi, but Antti enabled this agreement with Mercedes," Wolff revealed.

So it appears that even the top teams require a bit of incentive to take on a driver.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.