Valtteri Bottas admits speculation about a potential move to Ferrari is disturbing – but he 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 1 grid with the Grove-based Williams team, having started out with them as a test driver in 2012.

It was that year that saw Williams 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 teammate 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 other than his racing at Williams even if the constant rumours are starting to prove irksome.

 Valtteri Bottas celebrates on the podium after driving his Grove-prepared Williams to third place behind Lewis Hamilton in this year’s Canadian Grand Prix

Bottas said: “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 1 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.”

Bottas achieved six podium finishes last year, but has managed only one in the opening half of the 2015 season, taking third in Canada.

“We have a couple of podiums so that is positive, but there have been some difficult races, like the last race in Hungary.

“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.

“I think it is really healthy to think about something other than Formula 1, but I will continue the training programme and I’m sure, I need just one week at home doing nothing and then I want to be back in the car.”