“It is his consistency in his performances”- Valtteri Bottas explains what sets Lewis Hamilton apart from others on the grid

Samriddhi Jaiswal | 21/02/2022
"It is his consistency in his performances"- Valtteri Bottas explains what sets Lewis Hamilton apart from others on the grid

Valtteri Bottas rode the Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton for five years and during that stint, he was left impressed by the latter.

For the 2022 season, Valtteri Bottas will be driving an Alfa Romeo alongside rookie driver Guanyu Zhou. Having spent five seasons with the Mercedes team and Lewis Hamilton, Bottas explains what sets the Briton apart from others on the grid.

Hamilton won four of the five championship titles that Bottas raced with him for the same outfit. Now though Bottas has been replaced by George Russell. The time that the Finnish driver spent with the seven-time world champion left him impressed by the latter’s ability to remain consistent.

Bottas said, “It is his consistency in his performances. Every driver has a form that is a little bit up and down, but his baseline for performance is just so high. Even when he has a bad day it is not too bad. It is his consistency over the season.”

The new Alfa Romeo driver further highlighted Hamilton’s ability to adapt to different conditions. “Another of his key strengths is his ability to adapt to different conditions, the skill to react to changes, be it set-up or whatever,” Bottas added.

“This and his race-craft. His tyre management is a special skill and all these things are combined with talent.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton has entered the 2022 season with “attack mode”

Valtteri Bottas positive about starting a new chapter

While Bottas could never beat Hamilton to championship, he is proud to have beaten him on some occasions. Bottas said that with Hamilton at Mercedes it was always difficult for him to take on the lead role. Therefore, with Alfa Romeo, he is looking forward to it.

The Finn explained, “When I joined Mercedes, it was difficult for me to take the lead because of Lewis being there.”

“With him being in the team, it was always difficult for me to take that lead role. So now it is different and a fresh start for me. Having that leadership role is a good feeling.

“A part of me is always going to miss working at Mercedes. Now I have started looking back at my time there. I have tried to take all the positive moments we had.

“There were great moments and I enjoyed working with Lewis and Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team boss], but I am also really excited for my new chapter.

“I’m sure with the experience I have with Williams and after five years at Mercedes, I will be able to help the team move forward. I feel really comfortable with my role. Yes, there is a responsibility and I have commitments to the team, but it is exciting.”

Also Read: George Russell thinks FIA should compensate drivers for exploiting the rulebook

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Valtteri Bottas

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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