Valtteri Bottas i🍎nsists he is “not worried” about rumours linking Esteban Ocon to his Mercedes Formula 1 seat for the 2020 season.

Bottas endured a winless 2018 season and struggled to match teammate Lewis Hamilton, who in contrast claimed 11 victorie𒁃s and pole positions on his way to clinching a fifthܫ drivers’ world title.

The Finn ended the year fifth in🍬 the championship standings, and has found himself subject of speculation linking O🦄con with his Mercedes seat for 2020. Ocon will become Mercedes’ reserve driver for 2019 after losing his spot at Force India to Lance Stroll.

Bottas signed a new one-year deal with the German manufacturer earlier this season but Merced⛦es has the option to continue with the three-time♚ grand prix winner alongside Hamilton in 2020.

Asked if he i𒁃s worried about the speculation, Bottas replied: “No, it’s not a concern.

“People ar🅠e always talking and, for sure, every driver wants to move on with their own career, they want to grab the opportunities.

“But i🎐t’s not my job to worry about 🅠that, it’s only going to hurt me.

“I have a very good ♈relationship with every team member here, including Toto [Wolff], and we can always speak openly about anything, so there’s nothing being hidde꧅n.

“If I meet my targets and the targets the team has for me ne🅺xt year, that’s good. If I don’t and if the team feels I’m not pe🌠rforming well enough, then it’s fair enough.

“It’s how the sport goes, so I’m not worried.”

Bottas, who labelled his 2018 season ✃as the “worst” of his career, said he has already targeted areas for improvement over the winter and believes his testing campaign will make him “tougher”.

“I need to have a look at everytꦰhing fr൩om this season and in every race weekend there are things you can do better,” he explained.

“I cannot say it was just one thing [to impro💞♈ve] but we’ll have a better look at everything and talk with the team about it.

“Then I’ll need to decide what will be the main points, becau🌸se there are many things and we’re limited with time and with what you can process at once. That’s the plan for the winter.

“From a season like this you just have to learn and try to forget, but this is dﷺe🃏finitely a season that will make me a tougher person and driver for the future.”

FEATURE: The driver under most pressure heading into F1 2019.