MOTOR SPORT:Finland's Valtteri Bottas attempted to lower expectation levels after being named as the replacement for Bruno Senna in the Williams Formula One team next season.

Bottas, a test driver for Williams since 2010, will join Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado next season after the British team announced their driver line-up for 2013 yesterday.

Team principal Frank Williams described the 23-year-old Bottas as “quite simply one of the most talented young racing drivers I have come across” in a team statement, saying he expected “great things” from him in the future.

However, Bottas said it might be the second half of next season when he starts to show what he is capable of. “I had a little factory talk with Frank and I said to him ‘thanks for the pressure’,” said Bottas, who is no stranger to the Williams set-up, having been given the use of Senna’s car on Fridays at most of this season’s races.