With just over a month left until Lewis Hamilton officially switches to Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas has explained why he feels his former teammate will thrive in Italy.
Bottas knows Hamilton better than most drivers on the grid, having driven alongside him at Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, before departing for Alfa Romeo (now Sauber). He feels that the Briton will enjoy a mutually beneficial run with the Maranello-based outfit. “We’ll see a really strong Lewis [Hamilton] at Ferrari,” said Bottas to USA Today Sports.
“He will bring lots of knowledge, he will motivate the people on the team. And I think for him it’s kind of like a new fresh start which is something he wants because he made the change,” he added.
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 appearance for Ferrari will be in the 2022 car, at the start of 2025
Mercedes has committed Lewis to end-of-year promotional commitments making him unavailable to test for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/RbTz7HNTPM
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) November 13, 2024
Bottas speaks from experience. Alongside Hamilton, he helped lead Mercedes to five consecutive Constructors’ titles, witnessing firsthand the impact a driver of his caliber can have on a team. On a personal level, no matter how hard Bottas tried, he could never mount a successful Drivers’ title challenge, whereas Hamilton went on to win five.
Just like Bottas did two years ago, Hamilton is now on his way out of Mercedes. The Brackley-based outfit will enter a new era, with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli set to replace Hamilton — huge shoes to fill for the Italian.
Why did Hamilton leave Mercedes?
Hamilton, F1’s most successful driver of all time, last won a title in 2020. The very next year marked the start of a (hopefully) temporary downfall, with Max Verstappen controversially beating him for the World Championship, largely aided by questionable decision-making by the officials.
Then, in 2022, Mercedes entered a technical slump, one which sent them down to the midfield.
After an impeccable record of winning at least one Grand Prix in each of the seasons he’s competed in, 2022 and 2023 were the only two seasons where the 39-year-old failed to register even a single win. That set up the discontent leading to his eventual exit.
It wasn’t just the performance that bothered the Briton. He has been vocal about the team’s decision to overlook his feedback on car development, and his struggles with the W15 have only intensified these concerns.
At the 2024 Sao Paulo GP, Hamilton appeared visibly frustrated and seemed eager to complete the season’s final three races, signaling a definitive end to his Mercedes career.
