Praise from Bottas: 'I take my hat off for Hamilton's dedication'

For five years Valtteri Bottas was Lewis Hamilton's teammate. The Finn never managed to beat the seven-time World Champion in his spell at Mercedes, but the two drivers had a good relationship.

In the Finnish podcast Supla Bottas spoke about the differences between him and Hamilton as drivers. The Finn has only positive words for his old teammate. "He rarely has bad races. He adapts very well to every situation. When Lewis hears that I've been at the factory for two days, he goes for three days."

Last season Mercedes had a harder time than usual. In previous seasons, the team was always dominant, but this time Red Bull Racing made it more difficult for Hamilton and Bottas. According to the Finn, Hamilton went one step further in 2021 to get the most out of his car.

"This year he was in the simulator almost every week, something he hasn't done before. His dedication is something I can only take my hat off for. I believe that F1 may mean more to him than it does to the rest of the drivers at the moment," Bottas continued.

The loss in Abu Dhabi came as a big blow to Hamilton, who still hasn't heard from him on social media. Next season he will have an additional challenge, namely new teammate George Russell. Bottas signed a multi-year contract with Alfa Romeo.