Rumours began to circulate concerning the future of Bottas after a report in Motorsport-Total claimed ‘a conversation between Bottas’ manager Didier Coton and Renault team manager Cyril Abiteboul has taken place’.
It is widely known that Bottas has been on a one-year rolling contract since joining Mercedes in 2017.
With George Russell waiting in the wings, it is possible that Bottas is simply gathering options should Mercedes elect to promote the Williams driver, a Mercedes young driver, rather than continue with the Finn.
Speaking to Motorsport-Total, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that the manufacturer won't be rushed into making any decisions with regard to 2021.
"The fact is, the decision of some other teams to announce driver pairings for 2021 so early comes as something of a surprise because it will give them a headache for a whole year," said Wolff.