Hamilton: 'Bottas is the best teammate I've ever had'

To Motorsport-total.com Hamilton talks more about his relationship with teammate Bottas. "As for my relationship with Valtteri, he's a great teammate. I've always said that. And if I'm honest, I feel like at the moment we have the combination that is the best in terms of balancing the team and knowing how to develop our car."

"At some point that will change. I won't be here forever and neither will Valtteri. But for now I think we have performed well in the last few years and we can continue to do that," the world champion continued.

Bottas gets a lot of criticism

Bottas is not having his best season in Formula 1. He is currently fifth in the championship with 92 points and is not having the most consistent season. "People also need to leave him alone sometimes, so he can concentrate on his work," Hamilton believes.

"We will continue to work together as a team, as we have done well for many years," said the seven-time world champion. "I've always said that Valtteri is generally the best teammate I've ever had. And when I say that, I don't just mean the performance, but the morale in the team and how they work together in that environment."

This coming weekend we're going to see if the rumours about Russell are indeed true. It seems that Bottas will at least have other options next to Mercedes by then.