Bottas Expresses Confidence in Hamilton: “He Still Has the Talent”

Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with Ferrari has been anything but easy. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has yet to claim a podium for the Scuderia and currently finds himself battling in the midfield. Despite his former teammate’s struggles, Valtteri Bottas has expressed unwavering support for Hamilton, saying he still believes the Briton has what it takes to turn things around.

Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari during the winter was one of the sport’s biggest talking points. From 2017 to 2021, he and Bottas were teammates at Mercedes, forming one of the most dominant driver pairings of the modern era. Now serving as Mercedes’ reserve driver, Bottas watches from the sidelines as his old teammate endures one of the toughest spells of his career.

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“I hope he comes back”

In an interview with Crash.net, Bottas shared his view on Hamilton’s situation: “I hope he comes back. Time will tell, of course. He’s had some good moments, but also some bad luck. It’s not easy to move to a new team after so many years at Mercedes, where he was essentially the leader.”

The Finnish driver, who will race for Cadillac next season, admitted that changing environments plays a huge role in adapting to new challenges. “He’s in a completely different environment now,” Bottas explained. “There’s not much more I can say other than we’ll have to wait and see if things improve. But I really hope they do — because I believe he still deserves great results in this sport.”

“He still has the talent”

Bottas went on to highlight how switching teams can create uncertainty, even for experienced drivers. “It depends on which team you move to and how different the car is,” he said. “From my own experience, team changes often come with new regulations, so it’s difficult to compare. I don’t know exactly how things are working internally at Ferrari or what the issues might be. But he definitely still has the talent — everything just needs to fall into place again.”

Bottas’ words echo the sentiment shared by many in the paddock: while Hamilton’s Ferrari chapter has started off rocky, few doubt his raw ability. For the Finn, it’s only a matter of time before his old teammate reminds the world why he’s one of Formula 1’s all-time greats.