Ball in Williams’ court over Bottas move - manager

The ball is in Williams’ court regarding a potential move for Valtteri Bottas.

That is the claim of the Finn’s manager Didier Coton, amid swirling speculation about the future of the talented 25-year-old driver.

Bottas himself admits that the rumours, linking him with a sensational move to replace countryman Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, are not ideal as he continues to focus on 2015.

"Of course, as a driver I always try to minimise all distractions, and yes, there is a lot of talk," he told Turun Sanomat newspaper.

"The worst was when someone came to congratulate me on the contract, even when nothing has happened," Bottas said.

The big rumour is that Williams has agreed to have Bottas’ 2016 deal bought out by Ferrari to the tune of many millions.

And the Italian daily Corriere dello Sport is standing by its report.

"Ferrari and Bottas are not going to comment before the end of July. It will be announced at Spa or Monza," the newspaper now claims.

Even Williams admits there are talks taking place.

"They are private conversations," insisted deputy boss Claire Williams. "They have to be private because they are contractually related," she told the Guardian, admitting losing Bottas would be "disappointing".

Manager Coton, meanwhile, said the ball is in Williams’ court.

"Valtteri is with Williams, as it is known," he said. "The future depends entirely on Williams."

Asked to rate the chances that Bottas will stay with the British team, Coton answered: "Many, many per cent.

"The media has been writing pure speculation.

"When I heard this (Corriere dello Sport) story, I sent out a simple tweet about the need to cool down. Frankly, it (the speculation) is not right either to this team (Williams) or to Ferrari’s driver (Raikkonen) to spread those rumours. It’s not fair," Coton added.