Mercedes denies Bottas announcement date

Mercedes has denied reports it has set a date for the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's teammate for 2017. Amid suggestions Nico Rosberg's replacement will definitely be Valtteri Bottas, the Spanish sports daily AS said the German team already knows exactly when it will make the news official. "According to our sources, Bottas will be presented on 23 January, a month before the new car is launched," the AS correspondent wrote.

However, a Mercedes spokesman dismissed the report. "The Spanish media does not have any links with the team, so this date is simply invented," he said. The Finnish broadcaster MTV also quoted the Mercedes spokesman as saying that while an announcement date has not been set, the news will be revealed as soon as it is decided. (GMM)