"The potential of the set-up in Hinwil is clear, and I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance.
"I'm grateful for the trust the team has put in me, and I cannot wait to repay their faith. I'm as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins.
"I know Fred well and I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I am going to work with, building relationships as strong as the ones I have at Mercedes."
The change means it is now pretty certain that George Russell will make the switch from the back of the grid at Williams to F1’s dominant team of recent years. Russell, who has impressed in his three-years at Williams, is a Mercedes junior driver and had carried out tyre testing and demo runs for the team, including at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.
Last week the 2022 F1 driver market was ignited when veteran racer, and 2007 F1 champion, Kimi Räikkönen announced he would leave Formula 1 at the end of the 2021 season. That led to speculation as to whether Bottas would join Alfa Romeo or if former Red Bull driver Alex Albon might also take that seat.