There has to be tension between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas - Damon Hill

Mercedes

There has to be tension between Hamilton and Bottas - Hill

Two drivers fighting for the title.

Martin Macdonald

Tuesday 7 May 2019 17:06

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill reckons that there “has to” be tension between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at the moment as the team-mates find themselves as the two current major contenders for the driver’s championship, with two race wins apiece in 2019.

With Ferrari’s title assault yet to get going, the Mercedes duo have dominated the first four races of the campaign with 1-2 finishes, with Bottas winning the last outing in Azerbaijan.

Hamilton-Bottas 'war' will last all yearRead more

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Hill has questioned the total domination of the Silver Arrows, though, and believes there to be a competitive atmosphere between Hamilton and Bottas.

"I wouldn't say they are completely dominating - Ferrari can still pull some victories off and so maybe can Red Bull, but Bottas has raised his game and that means the title could be between two Mercedes drivers," Hill told Sky Sports News.

"That creates tension, it has to. There's no way you can be in the same team and want the other guy to win.

"Valtteri went away and reflected on the previous season and realised he has to raise his game and he's done that."

The 1996 champion thinks Ferrari have shot themselves in the foot at points this season, which is making things even more difficult for them against a stellar Mercedes outfit.

"You could say perhaps Ferrari have tripped themselves up occasionally and lost opportunities that they might have capitalised on, but Mercedes are an incredible origination now," Hill added.

"They've proven their reliability and they seem to know where they are going and stick to what they believe in.

"They don't follow trends and they have proven to be the class of the field for many years now."