“Initially Quite Strange”: Close Friend and Fellow Driver Shares Discussions With Lewis Hamilton on Ferrari Move

Lewis Hamilton is moving to Ferrari in 2025, bringing his 11-year association with Mercedes to an end. He signed a contract extension with the Silver Arrows in 2023, which makes the move all the more surprising. However, Hamilton’s former teammate at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas, had a different take on him joining Ferrari.

In an interview with Talk Sport, Bottas revealed how he contacted Hamilton following the news of his Mercedes departure. He was happy for him, as opposed to all the speculation and noise surrounding the reason behind his exit.

Furthermore, the Sauber driver detailed how it would be weird seeing Hamilton suit up for a team other than Mercedes. “It will be initially quite strange seeing Lewis [Hamilton] in red but people will get used to it.”

Hamilton leaves behind Mercedes, just as it kickstarted its path to resurgence. Team Principal Toto Wolff is confident that the stable will be fine with George Russell as its star driver. But after spending three years as Russell’s teammate, Hamilton is now set to partner up with a new star in red, and at the same time, fight for his eighth World Championship.

Bottas has no words of advice for Hamilton’s next teammate

Bottas shared the Mercedes garage with Hamilton for five years (2017-2021) before moving to Alfa Romeo (now Sauber). As such, the Finnish driver knows him better than most, which means he could have given Charles Leclerc a heads-up on how to deal with Hamilton.

However, Bottas doesn’t have any advice for the Monegasque driver. “He’s a man and he’s got some experiences already,” said Bottas as quoted by Yard Breaker. “I think they’ll be good teammates but Lewis will give him a good ride.”

Having seen Hamilton win four World Titles with him by his side, Bottas remains confident that the 39-year-old will bring joy and success to Ferrari, who also seeks to win its first Championship since 2008.