F1 news: Toto Wolff denies organising new Lewis Hamilton team-mate

Ocon impressed racing for Force India this year, sparking suggestions he could move to a more competitive team.

Bottas is under contract at Mercedes until 2019, while his team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s deal expires at the end of next season.

Mercedes are expected to offer Hamilton a new contract but the future of Bottas remains undecided.

Yet team boss Wolff has denied plans are in place for Ocon, whose Force India team are a sister outfit to Mercedes, to come in.

“Esteban is one of our drivers and is therefore in the picture, but the team and all of its strength is behind Valtteri,” he told Finish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

“If we to start thinking about other drivers, it would mean that the emotional side would not be 100 per cent for Valtteri.

“I can assure you, from the board to every team member, we all want Valtteri to succeed.

“Together with Lewis, he is our driver and we do not consider any others.”

Hamilton won the F1 Drivers’ Championship for a fourth time in 2017, claiming 10 Grand Prix wins in the process.

Bottas, in his first year at Mercedes, won three races – including the last outing of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Ocon enjoyed a strong end to the 2017 campaign, finishing sixth in Japan and the USA and fifth in Mexico.

The Frenchman only failed to get into the points twice in the 20-race calendar.

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Daily Express :: Sport Feed

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