It is a no-brainer to continue with Bottas: Mercedes

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas has received assurance from Mercedes that he will continue to be a part of the team for at least one more year.

The 28-year-old, who made his Formula One debut for Williams in 2013, is currently standing at the third post in the driver's championship after posting two victories and eight podium results this season.

He is lagging just 41 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and 34 points behind his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton .

And Mercedes boss Toto Wolff insisted that it is a no brainer to continue with Valtteri.

"We want to keep him," Sport24 quoted Wolff as saying.

Wolff, who was speaking ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, also quashed speculations that Bottas still needs to prove his worth.

He said, "We are very happy with Valtteri. We want to keep him in the team."

Last year, the 27-year-old had signed a one-year deal to replace suddenly-retired Nico Rosberg as Hamilton's new teammate at Mercedes for the ongoing season.

-ANI