Stroll set, Bottas less certain for Williams

Oct.17 - Lance Stroll will definitely be at Williams in 2017, according to multiple authoritative media sources.

One of them is the Finnish broadcaster MTV, adding that the British team's current driver Valtteri Bottas will almost certainly be his teammate.

But some other outlets are less sure, including Finland's Ilta Sanomat, amid rumours Bottas is still the first choice to join Nico Hulkenberg at Renault.

"It's difficult to talk about Valtteri's situation," said former F1 driver Mika Salo.

"Lance Stroll will be there, and Williams would probably like to keep Valtteri, but (Lance's father Lawrence) Stroll has bought half of the team so it may be him who chooses who is in the other car," he added.

When asked his opinion of Stroll, who is the new European F3 champion, Salo said: "He is not a bad driver. He has won a lot of races this season and the F3 championship.

"He deserves a place but he may not want Valtteri as his teammate," he added.

The German publication Speed Week reports that confirmation of Stroll's contract may be delayed until late October, when he turns 18, in deference to Williams' alcohol sponsor Martini.

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Leopold

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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