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'Always improving' Bottas expected to remain with Williams

Deputy team boss Claire Williams has made clear that Williams' desire is that Valtteri Bottas remain with contracted to the Grove-based outfit for 2017.

Recent speculation suggested that the Finn, who at one point last season was on Ferrari's short list, had been courted by Renault.

But with Williams believing to hold an option on Bottas for next year, and with the team delighted by its driver's performance to date, all indications point to the 26-year-old staying put for 2017.

"Valtteri has improved and improved," Williams told Autosport.

"He has really matured into a driver that can build a team around him and galvanise people. We saw he lost a bit of that focus last year with the Ferrari rumours, but he has reset.

"We've seen a very different Valtteri this year, an even better version of himself.

"I knew him when he was our development driver and you can see the trajectory has gone upward and I don't think he has stopped going up.

"He still has a huge amount to prove and I hope we can one day give him the race car to prove that he is a championship-worthy racing driver."

While team mate Felipe Massa had the upper hand over Bottas in the first few races of the season, the Finn has since outscored the Brazilian to place himself seventh in the drivers' standings, with Massa currently ninth.

Williams feels the Bottas-Massa driver combo represents a 'dream combination' although rumors have once again gone into overdrive over the summer with both Jenson Button and Sergio Perez seen as possible replacements for Massa.

"To have a driver pairing like Felipe and Valtteri we may take for granted sometimes because they just get on with the job and do it and do it in a very nice way," Williams added.

"They not only do a great job trackside but they do a great job behind the scenes, coming into the factory, talking to the guys.

"Felipe and Valtteri is a dream combination and both have done a brilliant job."

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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.