Valtteri Bottas admits speculation about a potential move to Ferrari is disturbing - but insists he is fully committed to winning his first grand prix with Williams.
The 25-year-old is in his third year on the Formula One grid with Williams, having started out with the British team as a test driver in 2012.
It was that year that saw the team win their last race when Pastor Maldonado took the chequered flag at the Spanish Grand Prix but the last two seasons have seen an overall upturn in fortunes.
Williams finished third in the constructors' championship last season as Bottas and team-mate Felipe Massa often proved to be best of the rest behind the dominant Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Bottas has impressed many people in the paddock with how well he has taken to life in F1 and has long been linked with a move to Ferrari to replace fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen from 2016 onwards.
But the former GP3 champion is not thinking about anything than his racing at Williams even if the constant rumours are starting to prove irksome.
Bottas, speaking at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on behalf of Sure, an official partner of Williams, told Press Association Sport: "Once you're in the car you don't think about any speculation there is.
"There is nothing in your mind other than driving, but out of the car of course it is disturbing when there are some rumours.
"People are asking the same questions all of the time but it is Formula One and you have to deal with it. For me it doesn't make any difference who the speculation is with.
"In principle it isn't fair to Williams or to Kimi, there is nothing confirmed as to what will happen - it will be best just to leave us in peace and we can focus on the driving. When there is news it will be announced."
Bottas achieved six podium finishes last year but has only managed one in the opening half of the 2015 season - taking third in Canada.
But, having seen Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel win in Hungary at the weekend, he believes Mercedes can be toppled and has his eyes set on a maiden F1 victory.
"Mercedes are really strong at the moment but Ferrari showed in Budapest that it is possible to beat them," he said.
"Never say never, we are still aiming to win races, they have a really quick car but anything can happen in motor sport. We need to believe in it and take every opportunity - it could be there this season.
"Beating Mercedes in the team points or drivers' standings is very difficult at the moment so we need to keep working.
"The season so far has been mixed for us. We were definitely aiming to make improvements from last year but we are, more or less with the results, in the same position as we were last year.
"We have a couple of podiums so that is positive but there have been some difficult races, like the last race - we didn't get any points but we are halfway and we need to look forward, learn from our mistakes and move on."
With no race until the Belgian Grand Prix on August 23, Bottas could have some well-deserved downtime - but he believes he will soon be raring to get back into the car and set about closing the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari.
"Once all the commitments are done I will have some time off," he added.
"I think it is really healthy to think about something other than Formula One for a while, but before Spa I will continue the training programme and I'm sure, knowing myself, I need just one week at home doing nothing and then I want to be back in the car."
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Source: PA
