How close former Mercedes teammates Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton remain friends today and where they spend the most time together
They were Formula One teammates at Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, but then Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton parted ways. Or did they? According to Hamilton, he still spends a lot of time with Bottas: because the two former stablemates maintain a “flying relationship”, as Hamilton explains.
He says: “Valtteri and I are actually close friends. Most of the time we travel to and from races together. So we spend a lot of time together and talk a lot too.”
Hamilton states he is “grateful” for “this friendship” with Bottas. “Because we had really great years together [at Mercedes] and we have a lot of respect for each other. “
And because he regularly exchanged notes with Bottas, he was aware of his performance with Alfa Romeo in the 2022 Formula One season. Hamilton: “I’m really pleased that his team has started so well this year.”
Indeed, Bottas was one of the big surprises in the field in the first third of the season, with points from six of the seven races at the start of the year. In the following seven races, however, Bottas only managed one other top-10 result.
“Yes, the year has had its ups and downs, but Valtteri is doing a really excellent job,” Hamilton says. “When you consider the challenges we all have with our cars, both drivers are doing a cracking job.”
“And, after all, I won my titles with Fred [Vasseur] in Formula 3 and GP2, so I know how well he’s doing. The team has a lot of potential. I’m excited to see what’s to come. “
