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Mercedes Formula 1 Team Signs Valtteri Bottas To Replace Nico Rosberg

Valtteri Bottas replaced retired Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg at Mercedes on Monday, with Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa "coming out of retirement to take the Finn's seat at Williams," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. Appearing at the factory with Mercedes Motorsport Dir Toto Wolff, Bottas "promised to push" new teammate and triple world champion Lewis Hamilton "as hard as possible." Wolff, who helped guide the Finn's early career and "also has close ties with Mercedes-powered Williams as a former shareholder," said that Bottas would fit in well. Wolff added, "He's very fast as a driver, and he shows our values." Williams had earlier announced that Massa, who left at the end of last season at the age of 35, had agreed to a one-year contract to end the "shortest of retirements." While Hamilton, 32, "can expect to be the team's main man," Bottas can be a "genuine contender." Massa will partner with 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll at Williams. Sauber "earlier set the day's merry-go-round in motion" by announcing that German driver Pascal Wehrlein, who was the Mercedes reserve and Bottas' main rival to replace Rosberg, "would race for them this year." Wehrlein, 22, "drove for struggling Manor as a rookie last year" but Mercedes felt it needed a "more experienced replacement"  (REUTERS, 1/16).

'VERY DIFFICULT POSITION': In London, James Gray reported former F1 driver Martin Brundle "thinks Rosberg has done considerable damage to the team." Brundle said, "[His retirement] has left Mercedes in a very difficult position. And it might actually affect them for a couple of seasons. But where it gets really exciting is at the end of this season, when so many top drivers are out of contract." One of those drivers is Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, whose team does not "appear to be desperate for him to re-sign" after a "frustrating" '16 season. The four-time world champion "has been mooted" as a future teammate for Hamilton at Mercedes and if he becomes available in '17, Bottas' career with the team "may be short-lived" (EXPRESS, 1/16).

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