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Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari revealed by his 'best teammate ever'

20:46, 22 Jun

byNorberto Mujica

Lewis Hamilton's adaptation to Ferrari has not gone smoothly, and the Briton's 'best teammate ever' believes he knows why.

Valtteri Bottas has been lauded by Hamilton as the best teammate he's had in his F1 career, despite partnering world champions like Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.

Now the Finnish driver has opened up on his former teammate's move to the Scuderia, after revealing he was close to a move to Maranello himself.

“I can understand his decision, sometimes it’s necessary to change, and I think it’s a great opportunity for him to join Ferrari. It’s something that changes your life, and I think it’s really beautiful, for him and not only him.”

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For Bottas, the issue mainly lies with the power units, and the differences between the Mercedes and the Ferrari engines. The Finn should know since he drove with the Italian's engine for three campaigns, and prior to that, he drove the German's one for five seasons.

“I don’t know what the differences are between the two power units in the current specification, the 2025 one."

“But yes, I know them both. I’m waiting to do a test in the summer with this year’s car, but I think I can say that the main differences are in terms of driveability and the use of engine braking.

“In terms of peak power, I don’t think there are big differences, so I think his difficulties are related to these two parameters. Little by little, he’s adapting,” concluded the Finn.