Mercedes F1 driver Valtteri Bottas had yet another FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) test outing in Germany this time.
After making his rally debut ahead of the 2019 F1 season in Artic Rally, where he drove a Ford Fiesta WRC for M-Sport Ltd, Bottas recently tested Toyota Yaris WRC car in Finland with co-driver Timo Rautiainen.
In less than a month of his Toyota test, Bottas was back in a WRC car, this time with M-Sport Ltd driving a current Ford Fiesta WRC as the team prepares for Rally Germany, to take place on August 22-25.
A video surfaced of the Finn driving the car on Tuesday, which included a slight off for him after a small mistake. He was not alone as M-Sport regulars Teemu Suninen and Gus Grensmith were out testing too.
The trio ran in narrow agricultural roads of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. The team is amid a difficult time after losing Sebastien Ogier to Citroen as they sit fourth in standings, 40 points behind the French team.
They were to run Hayden Paddon in Rally Finland but a test crash destroyed the chances with the Kiwi now working on a new deal. Their regular Elfyn Evans is sidelined due to a back injury.
The timing of the WRC tests for Bottas is interesting, especially with the rumours around him losing his Mercedes F1 seat to Esteban Ocon for 2020. The Finn has spoken about other plans and as it looks like rallying is on top.
More details to be added as they are available as FormulaRapida.net has contacted M-Sport for a comment