Lewis Hamilton says that the Mercedes pairing of him and Valtteri Bottas is the "best combination" for Mercedes, following the team's sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship, and third as a driver pairing.
Bottas won his third race of the season in Japan at the weekend, reducing the gap to championship leader Hamilton to 64 points with four races left to run.
When asked by Bild Am Sonntag newspaper if Mercedes' combination was the best, the reigning champion replied: “Absolutely for sure. It’s the best combination available. I just do not see a better balance in Formula 1.
“It’s always the same with your teammate, and also with Valtteri. He wants to beat me, I want to beat him.
“But between Valtteri and me there is just a maturity. I did not have that when I was younger. Valtteri and me, it just works. He’s also getting faster every year, so I keep having to pull new rabbits out of my hat to stay in front.”