Mercedes want Williams' Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas is Mercedes' first choice to replace Nico Rosberg as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate, BBC Sport has learned.

But Williams have rejected an initial offer to release Finn Bottas from his 2017 contract.
In a separate development, Mercedes technical boss Paddy Lowe is close to finalising a deal to join Williams.
Lowe is set to be replaced at the world champions by former Ferrari technical director James Allison.

The Mercedes driver conundrum

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has zeroed in on Bottas as his favoured option as a replacement for Rosberg, who retired five days after winning his first world title last month despite having two further years on his Mercedes contract.

Wolff has approached Williams with a proposal that he gives them a major reduction in their engine bill - said to be in the region of €10m euros (£8.4m); more than half the total fee - in return for releasing Bottas.
Williams also have the option to run Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein in Bottas' place.

Wolff, who is part of Bottas' management team, sees the 27-year-old as a close like-for-like replacement for Rosberg - quick, a reliable and consistent points scorer, and relatively easy to manage alongside the more mercurial Hamilton.
Williams have said no to Wolff's first offer but negotiations are expected to continue in the coming days.

Williams' problem with losing Bottas

Williams feel they need an experienced contender in one of their cars next season because their other driver is Canadian rookie Lance Stroll.
The 18-year-old, who won the Formula Three Euroseries in 2016 and comes with a budget reputed to be at least £20m, has been on an extensive test programme intended to prepare him comprehensively for his F1 debut.

But Williams are concerned that partnering him with 22-year-old Wehrlein, who has only one year's experience with the back-of-the-grid Manor team, would be a significant risk to their chances of maximising their championship position.

Each place in the constructors' table is worth millions of pounds.
There is also a complication with Williams' sponsors, among them the drinks giant Martini, for which having two drivers under 25 does not sit well in promotional terms.

German Wehrlein is also in talks with the Swiss Sauber team, which is yet to name a team-mate for Swede Marcus Ericsson.