Hamilton jibes Rosberg? 'Bottas is my favourite team-mate'
Hamilton jibes Rosberg? 'Bottas is my favourite team-mate'
Lewis Hamilton says he has a better understanding with Mercedes colleague Valtteri Bottas than any team-mate in his career. Without naming names, the four-time world champion revealed that each of his previous team-mates were unable to accept him being faster than them.
Relations have been calmer at the Silver Arrows since Bottas replaced Nico Rosberg, a long-time rival of Hamilton's throughout their motorsport careers.
Numerous on-track clashes and arguments over the sharing of team data strained relations between Hamilton and Rosberg, although the pair have appeared much friendlier again since the German's shock retirement in the aftermath of pipping his team-mate to the 2016 drivers' title.
But Hamilton says Bottas' magnanimous nature makes his a perfect partner - perhaps a hint to the Mercedes about signing the Finn to a new deal, with his future beyond the end of the season uncertain.
"It's very relaxed, it's easy environmental wise and he's driving exceptionally well this year which is great to see," Hamilton told a fan Q&A.
Read more: Mercedes give up on Ricciardo?
Read more: Alonso close to Alonso deal
"I always look to myself first. If we're not performing well, I want to take most of the blame but I've got a great team and we share the blame together. That's why I always say we win and lose together whether my team-mates and my fans.
"The great thing with Valtteri compared to all the other drivers I've driven with, he doesn't blame the car. If I've won, he's like 'you did the better job' and that's exactly how I think.
"If he's done the better job at the weekend, I've got to work harder, I don't say 'the car was this, the car was that' and every other driver does that.
"There's a lot of the drivers I drove with that couldn't deal with the fact I was quicker. They'd be like 'something's got to be wrong' - they'd look for an excuse rather than look to themselves.
"That's why we get on the way we do, and there's a mutual respect there. We're going to have ups and downs through the intense battle, but I wouldn't want it any other way.
"I don't want him to drive slower - the better he is, the more I have to work and the more satisfying it is when you do outperform someone."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Red Bull chief admits interest in poaching TWO rival stars
- 37 minutes ago
Audi agree LONG-TERM F1 deal with star driver
- 1 hour ago
FIA boss HITS OUT at 'court of public opinion' after interference allegations
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Horner reveals Verstappen SECRET as team reveal surprise name change
- Today 06:27
Ferrari announce DRASTIC change as Verstappen issues dire warning to bosses - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
- Yesterday 22:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860