Valtteri Bottas drove with Lewis Hamilton before moving to Alfa Romeo but he still maintains a good relationship with Hamilton.
Valtteri Bottas spent five years at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and played a pivotal role in helping the team win the constructors’ championships.
The Finnish driver decided to move to Alfa Romeo last season in a multi-year deal. At Mercedes, Bottas was replaced by George Russell who made a step up from the Williams.
#F1: Valtteri Bottas on his relationship with Lewis Hamilton now: “It’s been nice (…) we actually flew together after the race [Bahrain] to Dubai. And we flew from Dubai to Saudia Arabia. So we’re still sharing flights. In a way, nothing has changed.
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Talkin about his time in Mercedes, Bottas said, “I’ve definitely grown as a person a lot. Obviously, I’ve learned how a championship-winning team worked and what kind of mindset it needs. I’ve learned a lot about teamwork and have gained a lot of technical knowledge.”
The 32-year-old feels like the only way is up and he proved it with his first race of the 2022 season in Bahrain where he secure P6.
Also Read: When Lewis Hamilton opened up about the exact moment he decided to leave McLaren for Mercedes
Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are mates
In Bahrain, Hamilton got a surprise P3 after both the Red Bulls ahead of him retired late in the race due to some fuel pump issue.
Following the Briton’s podium finish, Bottas had a nice moment with his former teammate. They waved hands at each other after the race.
Speaking about his relationship with Hamilton, the Alfa Romeo driver said, “It’s been nice. It was pretty natural. After the race, I drove past him on the in-lap and I heard he was on the podium, so I gave him thumbs up and he did the same.”
“And we actually flew together after the race to Dubai. And we flew from Dubai to Saudia Arabia. So we’re still sharing flights. In a way, nothing has changed.”
“You know, we’re maybe not teammates, but still mates. It is nice. We have a good relationship in a way. Because we did achieve quite a bit of thing together as teammates. I think that kind of friendship will for sure last too,” he further added.
