Valtteri Bottas says he would shave his moustache and cut his 'mullet' hairstyle in order to return to Mercedes.

The Finn was paired at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until 2021, resulting in Bottas taking a big step down the grid with Sauber - and a big change in his personal branding and image.

In Bahrain, he told the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat that the Hamilton news caught him out.

"Especially the timing was quite surprising, but when you think about it, he is probably approaching his last years in Formula 1," Bottas said. "I think he also good a pretty good deal there, so why not?"

To date, Bottas has been pinning his hopes on staying in Formula 1 beyond his expiring contract on the looming Sauber-Audi project, set to ramp up towards 2026.

"It's a fact that my contract is until the end of this year," he reveals. "We haven't discussed the situation inside the team yet, but it will be early this year or in the coming months.

"Quite a few teams don't have a pair of drivers locked in for 2025, so there will be movement. Not right away, but you have to stay pretty alert to what's going on."

Bottas confirms that it remains his "priority" to talk to Sauber about a new deal.

"Audi has always been successful in every form of motorsport and they don't do it half-hearted," he said. "It's my biggest goal to get involved in that."

However, he admits that he's also keeping half an eye on the situation at Mercedes.

"In this sport you can never say never," Bottas insisted. "Anything is possible in this sport."

But Bottas, although no longer adding to his impressive list of 67 podiums, appears personally much happier than he did when he was at Mercedes.

Most visibly, it shows in his moustache and 'mullet' hairstyle. So would he be prepared to get rid of those features in exchange for a return to Mercedes?

"Well, that would be a pretty hard demand," Bottas laughed. "But if we're talking about success and getting back to fighting for podiums and victories, then yes, I believe that the mullet and the moustache can go.

"But I also believe that they have perhaps learned something new about me," he added. "So I don't think they'd demand it."

He insists that he still believes he might become world champion some day, even though many observers believe Bottas has settled into a more laid-back lifestyle.

"Of course I believe it, or I wouldn't be here," said the Finn. "If someone thinks that I drive for fun, that's not true.

"First, let's make it a goal to get back on the podium. That's the next step, and then we'll keep looking forward after that." body check tags ::