As anticipated Bruno Senna has been given the boot by Williams in favour of upcoming star Valtteri Bottas.
Senna was forced to make way throughout the 2012 Formula One World Championship during Friday practice sessions to give Finn experience behind the wheel of a Formula One car.
The 23-year-old rarely failed to impress, setting quick lap times and proving why he has been the team’s test driver since 2010.
He also holds an impressive CV, winning the GP3 Series in 2011, the Masters of Formula 3 in 2009 and 2010 and the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup in 2008.
It was always expected that Bottas would make the step up in 2013 and with Pastor Maldonado financial backing through his Venezuelan Oil sponsorship, most rumours in the paddock pointed to a departure for Senna.
‘In Pastor and Valtteri we have two of the most exciting talents in motor racing and I am especially excited about what 2013 can bring for Williams,’ Williams team boss Sir Frank Williams told Sky Sports.
‘Pastor has always demonstrated remarkable pace and this year has seen him mature as a racing driver. Valtteri is quite simply one of the most talented young racing drivers I have come across and we expect great things from him in the future. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our departing driver Bruno Senna for his hard work over the past year and wish him the best of luck going forward.”
Senna might not have taken as many headlines as Maldonado this season, with the Venezuelan winning the Spanish Grand Prix, but the Brazilian has generally done well.
The pair finished 15th and 16th in the Formula One drivers championship, with Senna only 14 points behind his team-mate despite the 25 point haul for Maldonado winning in Spain.
Senna proved he was the more consistent on a Sunday afternoon with ten top ten positions throughout the season in comparison to Maldonado’s five.
Those results have put him as a favourite for a drive with the Caterham team next season, with Heikki Kovalainen future unclear.
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