Valtteri Bottas has revealed the qualities of Lewis Hamilton that make him the “fastest driver on the grid” and what makes working with current teammate Zhou Guanyu a “pleasure”.
Bottas and Hamilton were team-mates at Mercedes for five seasons – from 2017 to 2021 – with both drivers playing key roles in helping the Silver Arrows win five constructors’ titles during that time.
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Although they achieved the team’s goals, from an individual perspective, Bottas never quite managed to beat Hamilton over the course of a season, with the Briton winning four drivers’ titles and the Finn zero during his time as a teammate.
In his Beyond the grid In the episode, Bottas told presenter Tom Clarkson that he believes Hamilton – who recently referred to him as… great teammate – was “still the fastest driver on the grid” despite not having won a title since 2020.
When asked what made the seven-time world champion so good, Bottas replied: “Well, first of all, he’s incredibly talented!” Additionally, he works a lot harder than you’d think outside of race weekends.
“And on race weekends he is often the last one to leave the paddock. It’s just that combination and he has that great drive to always deliver and perform well.
“His average baseline performance is very good and then he’s very consistent. It makes him hard to beat. Of course, when I could beat him, that was a good day.”
FULL BROADCAST: Read every word of Valtteri Bottas’ fascinating Beyond The Grid interview
When asked if he still has a relationship with Hamilton after driving for Alfa Romeo, Bottas replied: “Yes, we still have a good friendship. I’ve traveled with him a couple of times this season. We always have a good laugh.”
Since leaving Mercedes, Bottas has developed a good relationship with new teammate Zhou and he explained to Clarkson how the Chinese racer compares to Hamilton and his former Williams teammates Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa.
“Zhou is a very good teammate and a very nice guy,” said Bottas. “Every teammate is different, it’s always hard to compare them. Everyone is different as a driver. He is really mature for his age and experience.
“He obviously has a good education. He comes from a really sweet family. He’s just a good person and a really experienced driver. It was my pleasure. It was nice to see him grow and get faster.”
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Explaining to Bottas that he seemed ready to help Zhou since his rookie season in Formula 1, the ten-time race winner replied: “Yes, definitely. I know that when you get into Formula 1 you need help. There is so much to learn.
“Anytime he seeks advice I’m always there and who knows? Maybe one day, vice versa. We are there as a team. We definitely want to get closer to the top of the grid. We have to work together as a team and we both understand that.”
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