Bottas' private Mercedes sale fuels silly exit rumours

©Twitter

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Valtteri Bottas just can't catch a break. The Finn was trolled on social media on Thursday after a post on Twitter was interpreted as a sure sign of his impending exit from Mercedes.

Bottas' message advertised the sale on a Finnish website of his personal electric blue Mercedes AMG GT, with the nine-time Grand Prix winner hoping to collect €190,000 from an eventual buyer to whom he would hand over the keys personally in Helsinki.

But wait, there's more! The lucky buyer will also spend a day karting with Val in Lahti, as the proceeds of the Merc's sale will reportedly go to the local karting complex.

As usual, the malicious tweets – and tweeps – were right on cue just minutes after Bottas took to Twitter to promote his car's sale.

"If this doesn't say your leaving Mercedes I don't know what does," wrote one wicked mind, while another suggested that the ad was a mere hint at things to come for Bottas.

Another well-intended fan couldn't help but remind the Finn that last year, Sebastian Vettel sold most of his private Ferraris after he was dismissed by the Scuderia.

Read also: Wolff keeping 'Verstappen to Mercedes' rumors alive

The silly messages continued all day to populate the Finn's Twitter thread, spurred on by the speculation in the real world over Bottas' fate with Mercedes for 2022.

Regardless of what the future holds for Valtteri, as of today, he remains a Mercedes driver fully supported by Sir Lewis and team boss Toto Wolff.

"As of today, I only care about two drivers and they are Valtteri and Lewis," the Mercedes boss said in Spain last week.

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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.