Valtteri Bottas has said that people have the wrong idea of ‘prime’ Lewis Hamilton after being his teammate at Mercedes.
On the back of Nico Rosberg’s shock retirement from Formula 1 following the 2016 season, Bottas was chosen by Mercedes to be Hamilton’s teammate.
During his time at Mercedes, Bottas couldn’t quite challenge Hamilton for the world title, but did play a key role in helping the Silver Arrows win multiple constructors’ championships.
In total, the 36-year-old won 10 races as a Mercedes driver, with his last victory coming at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Bottas was eventually replaced by George Russell ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Valtteri Bottas thinks people have the wrong idea of ‘prime’ Lewis Hamilton
Speaking to Sky Sports reporter Rachel Brookes in her new book, ‘F1 Racing Drive’, Bottas claimed that Hamilton, at his prime, is the ‘best ever’.
The Finn also stated that people had the wrong idea of Hamilton, revealing how hard he actually worked behind the scenes in order to chase victories and titles.
Brookes wrote: “One man who saw first-hand the effort and time Lewis puts into his own track performance is Valtteri Bottas. His answer was swift and emphatic when I asked him for his GOAT.
“‘It’s a difficult sport to judge because it’s not only the driver, but also the machine. From what I have seen first-hand, I would say Lewis in his prime I would put him the best ever.
“What was it about Lewis that Valtteri saw, which means he rises from the rest?
“‘For me, his commitment, he pretty much always would be the last one to leave the paddock, behind the scenes, he works much harder, or at least, at that time, worked much harder than people ever realised.
“‘Also, the factory days, he just can’t stop asking questions and pushing people.
“‘Something people might have thought that even during that time, when he gets home during the race weekends, he does his parties or hangs out with his mates. But, actually, he was often on the phone with Bono about how to win the next one.’”
Lewis Hamilton once named Valtteri Bottas as his ‘favourite teammate’
During his career, aside from Bottas, Hamilton has raced alongside the likes of Fernando Alonso, Rosberg, and George Russell.
Previously, he was asked to name his favourite teammate and picked out Bottas.
He said to Sky Sports in 2023: “Valtteri, it was just fun, we had a lot of fun over the years, and there was a real camaraderie, even though he wanted to beat me.
“There was just a respect we always had, there were never any games between us, it was just straight on and we travelled together and we just built a really good friendship.”
