Valtteri Bottas has come to the defense of his former teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion made the switch to Ferrari this year, but so far, the results have been disappointing. Despite a promising start to the season, Hamilton is at risk of not scoring any podiums for the first time in his illustrious Formula 1 career. According to Bottas, the British star certainly deserves to remain at the top.
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari was a hot topic during the winter period. Particularly due to Scuderia’s form in the second half of the previous season, expectations were high; after all, Ferrari had just missed out on the constructors’ title in 2024. However, after eighteen Grands Prix, the 40-year-old Brit is still waiting for his first podium finish. Apart from a single sprint victory in Shanghai, Hamilton has so far had to concede superiority to teammate Charles Leclerc.
In the run-up to the Singapore GP, Bottas spoke to Crash.net about Hamilton’s struggles. The eccentric Finn drove alongside the celebrated champion at Mercedes for five years. “I hope he comes back,” said Bottas. “But only time will tell. He’s had good moments, but also some bad luck. Of course, it’s not easy to switch teams after such a long period at Mercedes, where he was essentially the leader.”
‘Everything Needs to Fall into Place’
According to Valtteri Bottas, the completely different working environment at Ferrari plays a role. “It’s a very different environment in which he is now working,” the Finn explained. “I can’t say much more than that we’ll see whether it gets better or not. But I really hope so, because I think he still deserves great results in this sport.”
Bottas, who returned to Mercedes in a test and reserve role after three seasons at Sauber, knows the challenges of a transfer. “It depends on which team you go to and how different the car is,” he elaborated. “I have my experiences, but they usually came with a regulation change. So for me, it’s hard to place – I don’t know how the team functions internally or what the exact problems are.” However, Bottas does not rule out that Hamilton will find his groove at Ferrari: “He still has the talent,” he concluded emphatically. “Now everything just needs to fall back into place.”
