Bottas admits potential contract talks could be 'disturbing'

Valtteri Bottas concedes that contract talks with Mercedes later this year could prove a bit disturbing, depending how late they occur, if at all.

The Finn performed according to his employer's expectations at the outset last season before a mid-season slump took hold, leaving him in team mate Lewis Hamilton's dust

Bottas found his footing in the tail end of the year however, winning the final round in Abu Dhabi, his third Grand Prix victory in 2017.

Nevertheless, he'll have to step up his game this season if he wants to hold on to a drive likely coveted by a few of his highly-rated colleagues, not the least of which may be Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.

For Bottas, if he delivers a string of good performances early on, contract talks should come sooner rather than later.

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"For sure there will be a deadline to get to know what the future is going to hold," he said.

"Whether it is going to be earlier or later this year we'll see.

"There's no point to drag things too late because as a driver you have a lot of things to think about and to focus on, so contract talks can be a bit disturbing.

"The team knows [that] as well, so when the time is right we'll try to make the decision."

For all the interest his plum drive at Mercedes naturally generates, Bottas admits he isn't feeling any particular pressure from within, but that won't deter him from giving it his all as soon as next weekend in Melbourne.

"I learned so much with the team last year and now it's been a much smoother start of the year, being able to focus on the things that matter," he said.

"It's a different feeling. I need to perform, use everything I learned last year and in my five years in Formula 1 [to fight for the title]."

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