Hamilton predicts “bright future” for outgoing team mate Bottas

2021 F1 season

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Lewis Hamilton hailed Valtteri Bottas as the best team mate he’s had following today’s confirmation he will leave the team at the end of the season.

Mercedes have sustained their run of constructors’ championship titles since Bottas replaced Nico Rosberg in their line-up at the beginning of 2017. They delivered their seventh consecutive title last year, while Hamilton took his fourth drivers’ crown in a row.

“I’m immensely proud to have worked alongside Valtteri Bottas for the last five years,” wrote Hamilton in a social media post. “Together we’ve been part of a team that has delivered four constructors’ championships and we’ve motivated one another to keep pushing through the ups and the downs. He has been the best team mate I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”

Bottas will race for Alfa Romeo next year, leaving a vacancy alongside Hamilton which is widely expected to be filled by George Russell.

Hamilton told his team mate: “Your speed and resilience has been impressive but where you truly stand out to me is the human being you are. You are greater than you know and I know there’s a bright future ahead for you.

“Thank you Valtteri for all of your support and amazing contributions to this team. You will be missed. I wish you all the best for your future endeavours. Let’s finish off strong and get that eighth [title] for the team.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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22 comments on “Hamilton predicts “bright future” for outgoing team mate Bottas”

  1. The “you are greater than you know…” line stands out for me.

    Valtteri doesn’t have enough belief in his own abilities.

    1. That is the problem. He appears to doubt himself midway through races, weekends and season. He has the speed and the ability but not the full conviction.

    2. If you can’t hack it after 5 years in a often dominant car, it’s probably not your believe in yourself that’s standing in your way.

      1. Ask any professional sportsperson and all would agree that it’s mentality that gives you that extra edge.

      2. Sebastian Vettel?

    3. Indeed. Let’s hope he takes it to heart.

  2. James V: “Valtteri, its James. You have been let go”
    Valtteri B: “Copy”

      1. Valtteri, it’s toto, difficult day for you and difficult day for us but we decided to go with george for 2022!

  3. Hamilton sure enjoyed having no competition in the only other competetive car. Had Rosberg been his teammate for the last 5 years, he wouldn’t have as many WDC’s as he does.

    1. Yea, if Rosberg hadn’t retired, been ‘spent’ completely as a racer after his WDC year, put his family on the back burner for the last five years, and hoped Ham had a few more car issues and not improved year on year, Ham maybe wouldn’t have had so many wins and championships.
      And if Max had become his own man instead of doing what daddy and Uncle Marko wanted; as he still does, he would have signed that Mercedes contract and found himself parachuted into the Mercedes team and be chasing his 5 WDC with little or no opposition.
      But thank god in the real world we have Max going up against the true greats with the likes of Albon and Perez.

      1. And if Max had become his own man instead of doing what daddy and Uncle Marko wanted; as he still does, he would have signed that Mercedes contract and found himself parachuted into the Mercedes team and be chasing his 5 WDC with little or no opposition.

        And guess what would have happened? It would be difficult to gauge Verstappen’s real ability to maximise the potential of the car, with everybody remaining stuck in the dillema “is it more about the car or more about the driver”, instead of Lewis’. Regardless of who would become the next Schumacher, it would be happening.

        1. Schumacher however had plenty of years where, whether he won the title or not, he gave a good fight without dominant cars, example 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 00, 03, 06, hamilton doesn’t have a lot of that since he only really had strong cars and almost always dominant.

          1. Almost always dominant is exagerated, however in the mclaren years he wasn’t really a contender in 2010 and 2012 with a car a bit better than alonso, which is what makes me think the car makes him better than he is.

          2. Schumacher however had plenty of years where, whether he won the title or not, he gave a good fight without dominant cars, example 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 00, 03, 06, hamilton doesn’t have a lot of that since he only really had strong cars and almost always dominant.

            Almost always dominant is exagerated, however in the mclaren years he wasn’t really a contender in 2010 and 2012 with a car a bit better than alonso, which is what makes me think the car makes him better than he is.

            You hit the nail on the head, my friend! ;)

  4. Who doesn’t like a timid wingman without speed for a team mate

    1. Speed is not VB’s greatest deficit. He is just totally unable to race.

  5. I don’t know if I’d consider battling for mid pack with no hope of winning a “bright future”.

  6. Of coarse he is Lewis’s favorite ever team mate. Lewis has always had great relationships with Team Mates that didn’t challenge him

  7. Unless a top 2, top 3 team pick him up in the next year (and we know that won’t be Merc), he’ll never challenge for wins, podiums, or poles ever again in F1. Maybe the occasional fast lap if he pits late on purpose.

    The only bright future he may have will be outside of F1. Unfortunately.

  8. You are greater than you know and I know there’s a bright future ahead for you.

    Did he just expose Bottas as having some sort of inferiority complex? He tries to make it all sound better but only getting worse!

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