Lewis Hamilton revealed what he misses about driving for Mercedes.
The start to Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari career hasn’t yet gone to plan. He made one of the biggest driver moves in F1 history to leave Mercedes, where he had unrivalled success, to the Scuderia. Some of the best drivers in F1 history have failed at Ferrari, and so far Hamilton is headed down the same path.
Hamilton said there would be tears during the summer break as he comes to terms with a poor start to the season. In the build-up to the Dutch Grand Prix, he admitted that he missed something about his former team.
Lewis Hamilton says he misses having Valtteri Bottas as a teammate
The summer break was concluded with the news that Cadillac signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez as the team’s first-ever driver lineup. Bottas drove for five seasons with Mercedes alongside Hamilton, and the pair won the Constructors’ Championship in every season as teammates.
Hamilton was asked what Bottas would bring to his new team, and he grew nostalgic when talking about who he previously described as his favourite teammate.
He said, “I don’t need to say anything about his talent because he’s shown that through and through in his career. They’re getting one of the most honest, probably the funniest Finn, I imagine. And the most genuine person to work with.
“I miss working with him… I think they’ve chosen the right guys, with Sergio as well. He’s got great experience, so the knowledge they both bring from two great teams will help them progress faster.”
Both Bottas and Perez showed poor form in their former teams, which led to them being ousted from their seats. But they return to the grid as two of the calmest and most experienced heads, ideally suited for a brand-new team.
Bottas’ temperament allowed for Hamilton’s record-breaking success at Mercedes. Despite Bottas finishing behind Hamilton in every season, he never caused drama or tension in the team. That made for one of the most successful driver pairings in the sport’s history.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas’ legendary partnership
Hamilton and Bottas raced exactly 100 races together as teammates. They were the second-longest-standing teammates in F1 history, behind Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
During that time, they won five Constructors titles, and Hamilton won four Drivers’ championships. They recorded 60 wins, 71 pole positions, 136 podiums and amassed 2245.5 total points.
It’s no wonder that Bottas is Hamilton’s favourite teammate. Personally, they were great friends, and on the track, Hamilton did most of the winning. Hamilton won 50 of those 60 races. Hamilton also enjoyed his most successful period with Bottas as a teammate.
| Stats as Mercedes teammates | Lewis Hamilton | Valtteri Bottas |
| Wins | 50 | 10 |
| Poles | 42 | 29 |
| Podiums | 78 | 58 |
| Points | 1918.5 | 1327 |
The seven-time world champion has not been able to recapture his past achievements since the new regulations were introduced. But with the 2026 regulations on the way, which are rumoured to suit Hamilton’s driving style, perhaps a return to form with Ferrari is on the cards.