Hamilton only wants Bottas to stay so he'll be number one - Palmer
Hamilton only wants Bottas to stay so he'll be number one - Palmer
Former Renault Formula One driver Jolyon Palmer reckons that Lewis Hamilton is only eager for Valtteri Bottas to stay at Mercedes so the Brit can easily retain his status as the number one driver in the team - much like the relationship between Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.
Last season was Bottas' debut year for the Silver Arrows, and although he won a few Grand Prix races, he never looked a contender for the championship alongside his team-mate.
His contract runs out at the end of this campaign, and Hamilton has stated that he wants Bottas to stay.
Palmer, however, thinks Hamilton only wants this because he knows he will always be number one at Mercedes if Bottas continues.
“I think he’ll be very happy with it,” Palmer said on BBC Radio 5 Live in reference to Hamilton's view on the squad dynamic at Mercedes.
“It’s a very similar situation to what we’ve got at Ferrari where Sebastian Vettel is kind of the No 1 driver, whether officially or not, and he’s voiced his support for Kimi Raikkonen to stay there.
“When you have a situation like this in the team, you have one guy that is the No 1 then they don’t want the second guy to be as quick, it’s natural.
“He’s a competitor and he can also be helpful in a title run-in," he said of Bottas.
Palmer also provided his opinion on Hamilton's contract situation, with the current world champion yet to put pen to paper on a new deal. He thinks Hamilton can go to whatever team he wants.
“Both Hamilton and Bottas are out of contract at the end of the year but I don’t think Lewis will be worried about it one bit because he can go anywhere he wants and I’m sure if Mercedes are quick and he has the desire to keep going then he’ll stay.
“To be honest, he probably won’t mind who his team-mate is because he’s four-time World Champion, could be five at the end of this year, he’s got a lot of confidence, a lot of natural talent and in the end for him it doesn’t matter.”
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Horner BLAMED for Newey nightmare as ‘absolute b******s’ Red Bull claims slammed
- 25 minutes ago
Hamilton F1 rival makes astonishing admission with Verstappen claim
- 32 minutes ago
McLaren boss keen for stunning Alonso REUNION
- 1 hour ago
Schumacher BLAMES Horner for Red Bull's Newey nightmare
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK after team snub revealed
- 3 hours ago
Newey set for CRUCIAL meeting over Red Bull future
- Today 08:27
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