Bottas claims 'nothing personal' in Hamilton Verstappen title fight

Valtteri Bottas has stated categorically there is no personal conflict between championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as Formula 1 enters the final furlong of the season.

Hamilton trails Verstappen by 12 points with just five races remaining this year.

However, whilst on-track tensions have boiled over on a number of occasions, Bottas maintains the two have remained "normal" when out of the cockpit.

“I don’t think it is anything personal," said Bottas.

"That is my view and for sure, if you are on the podium after a race that you have been wheel to wheel with someone, you still have that adrenaline and it might feel like tension but that is completely normal in this sport so for me it is all normal.”

Hamilton and Verstappen have shared the podium 10 times this year, finishing one-two on nine occasions.

At the Turkish Grand Prix in October, Bottas recalled seeing the two rivals talking after Hamilton's late pit stop dropped him off the podium and surrendered the championship lead.

“If I look at Turkey, I saw them having a chat and thought everything was normal," Bottas explained.

"It is competition and when you are competing hard on track you are not trying to make friends but Lewis and Max, they are both adults so they know that is the name of the game."

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