Bottas denies being Williams team leader

Nov.7 - Valtteri Bottas has played down suggestions his job description is fundamentally changing for 2017.

Ever since debuting for Williams in 2013, the Finn has had a more experienced teammate, most recently the Ferrari veteran Felipe Massa.

But Massa is being replaced by teenager Lance Stroll for 2017; the second-youngest rookie in F1 history.

Some think Bottas will necessarily be the Williams 'team leader', but the 27-year-old insisted: "My job doesn't change in any way.

"My job is to get the most I can out of the car and the team," he is quoted by Turun Sanomat newspaper.

"Outside the car, then of course I am ready to help Lance if it is needed. But Lance is a young and skilful driver who will definitely learn quickly," Bottas added.

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Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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