Bottas to stay with Williams for 2017

Although Bottas was among those to have held talks with Renault, as a potential team-mate to Nico Hulkenberg in the wake of the German's move from Force India, the Finn has opted for one more year with Williams.

Bottas and recently-crowned European F3 champion Lawrence Stroll will form the Grove team's partnership in 2017, with confirmation of the pairing understood to be announced early next month.

It means Bottas will be with the team for a sixth successive season in F1 after starting out as a test driver in 2012 prior to his promotion to a race seat the following year.

The 27-year-old Finn has yet to win in his 73 starts with the team, although he has stood on the podium on nine occasions, including back-to-back second places in 2014 at Silverstone and Hockenheim.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams recently told Autosport she would be disappointed if Bottas's maiden win came with any other team.

This season has been tougher for both Williams - which has slipped to fifth in the constructors' championship - and Bottas, although he has still outscored retiring team-mate Felipe Massa by 37 points so far this season.