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.

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"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."