Bottas describes ideal team-mate for 2017

Valtteri Bottas says his ideal team-mate for the 2017 Formula One season would be both quick and a team player.

The Finn has been partnered with Felipe Massa at Williams for three years but the Brazilian recently announced that he would bow out of the sport at the end of the current campaign. Bottas, for his part, has yet to confirm his plans for next season, though the 27-year-old is likely to extend his spell at Grove.

“The one thing is it is a fact that I’m going to have a new team-mate next year and it’s still not obviously confirmed if I will be with Williams or not,” Bottas said during Thursday’s FIA press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix.

“I’ve always said, and that’s how I feel, the quicker team-mate you have, it doesn’t matter who it is, as long as he’s quick it always boosts the performance of both drivers and helps the team, so that’s always good.

“And a team player would be nice, but obviously I have nothing to do with choosing the team-mate, it’s completely up to the team who I will be racing with so I hope everything’s OK.”

Williams openly targeted Jenson Button for 2017, but the Briton has decided to go on a sabbatical while staying under contract at McLaren for another two years.

Euro F3 points leader Lance Stroll has emerged as a potential candidate for the seat vacated by Massa, while Williams still has fellow development driver and GP2 Series race winner Alex Lynn on its books.

Other names that have been linked to a drive with the British outfit include Felipe Nasr, who served as the team’s test driver in 2014, and Sergio Perez, who has yet to announce his plans for 2017.

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