Lewis Hamilton says Valtteri Bottas has "earned his place" at Mercedes and will become even stronger should the world champions extend his contract.

Bottas joined the Silver Arrows on a 12-month deal at the start of the year as Hamilton's team-mate following Nico Rosberg's shock retirement after winning last season's world championship.

The Finn has gone on to claim his first victory and pole position in Formula 1, which team boss Toto Wolff admitted during the week had "exceeded expectations".

Hamilton's relationship with Rosberg deteriorated during the three years they were fighting for the world championship but the Briton has hailed Bottas' impact and the energy he has brought to Mercedes.

"He has earned his place and he will continue to grow," Hamilton said.

"He has done a great job, it's only his first year with the team and he has already won a grand prix. He will continue to go from strength to strength and just needs the opportunity to do so.

"Valtteri's energy is helping create a great harmony. When he is at the factory, he brings a great energy which everyone loves and appreciates."

Bottas in 'no rush'

When Bottas was confirmed as a Mercedes driver in January, Wolff conceded the team were "keeping their options open" for 2018, with a number of top drivers - notably Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso - out of contract at the end of this season.

Mercedes keep 'options open'

At the FIA Sport Conference in Geneva this week, the Austrian said he felt Bottas was in an uncomfortable, high-pressure situation due to the short-term nature of his deal.

But Bottas insists he feels unaffected and expects discussions over his future to begin shortly.

"I feel normal because every single year in Formula 1 I've had the same situation - I've had no idea at this point what is going to happen next year," he said.

"I know some kind of plan about when [Mercedes] are planning to have things sorted but that is between us. There is no rush.

"I don't know when I will know. The timeline is quite flexible but there is no rush really.

"For sure discussions will be opened soon because as a driver it's always nice to know what you are going to do next year. It's still a bit early days for that.

"For sure I'm keen to have a long-term relationship with Mercedes. That is my target and that's why every day I work hard and try to make the most out of every situation and the race weekend.

"I'm not in discussions with other teams."

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