“What an Opportunity”: Valtteri Bottas Backs Lewis Hamilton to Win 8th Championship With Ferrari

“What an Opportunity”: Valtteri Bottas Backs Lewis Hamilton to Win 8th Championship With Ferrari

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton shared garages on opposite sides at Mercedes for five years. Despite their rivalry as teammates, the duo have shared a strong friendship in the sport, and still continue to do. However, even the #77 driver did not see Hamilton’s move to Ferrari coming through.

Ferrari announced earlier this year that the Briton will be leaving Mercedes to join the team from 2025 onwards. Bottas explains that the 39-year-old took everyone by surprise with this move, including himself and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

That being said, the Finnish racing driver understands his former teammate’s motivations for seeking a new opportunity at Maranello. On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, he said, “I mean, what an opportunity.” Bottas is also confident that Ferrari can give Hamilton an opportunity to fight for a record-breaking eighth world title. He added,

“You know, to join a different team. A big team. [A] successful team in the past and even nowadays which has the potential to win races or championships. So, it’s kind of a new project for him and he seems really excited“.

Ferrari has been suffering from a prolonged title drought for the last 16 years. Their last driver’s world champion was Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and their last Constructors’ triumph came in 2008.

However, the combined championship-winning expertise of Hamilton and Ferrari makes Bottas believe that they can end their respective dry spells together. The 35-year-old went on to remark that he feels Hamilton is ready to build the team around himself.

“Seems like he’s really keen to start the new chapter and build the team around him,” concluded Bottas. The #44 driver will partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, who is often regarded as the team’s golden boy.

Leclerc is highly rated in the paddock as one of the fastest drivers on the grid today. But Hamilton does bring with him a tally of seven world championships that might sway the pendulum in his favor within the team.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
ferrari Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Valtteri Bottas

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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