Mika Hakkinen says it is up to Valtteri Bottas' management team to give his fellow Finn the chance to become world champion as he continues to be linked with a Ferrari drive.
Bottas does not have a contract with Williams beyond this current season and rumours before the Spanish Grand Prix suggested he has already signed a pre-agreement to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari in 2016 or 2017. Bottas denied the link in Spain but said his management is in control of his future.
Hakkinen, world champion in 1998 and 1999, suggested the decision they make on his future will have a bearing on whether he lives up to his billing as a future world champion.
"Valtteri's manager Didier Coton has already given an answer in Barcelona so I don't want to add anything else to this," Hakkinen said in a recent Q and A for sponsor Hermes when asked about Bottas currently having no contract beyond 2015. "Valtteri's job is everything that has to do with his work as a driver to be successful. It is the job of the managers to make sure of things off the track so that Valtteri has a chance to become a world champion one day."
Hakkinen pointed to Bottas' drive in Spain, where he held off Raikkonen's Ferrari for fourth, as evidence of his talent.
"In addition to his fantastic driving skills, he has really strong nerves. His style differs from the other drivers in an interesting way. It is not especially pleasant to drive behind him. He can bring the car out of the curve so that he can just reach the distance for the next. Valtteri made no errors so there was no chance for Kimi to overtake at all."