“I Was A Team Player”: Max Verstappen’s Example of Whipped Second Driver Once Revealed His True Loyalty to Lewis Hamilton

Valtteri Bottas is the epitome of a great teammate. The Finnish driver is among the greatest number 2 a team has had in F1 history. He replaced Nico Rosberg after the German driver announced his retirement in 2016 after winning the championship. The tension in the Mercedes camp was flaring high. Subsequently, it was vital that the Silver Arrows make the right choice when choosing a teammate for Lewis Hamilton.

On the other hand, Max Verstappen recently took a fresh dig at his teammate Sergio Perez by referencing Valtteri Bottas. The duo’s relationship has reportedly taken a colossal hit after the Dutchman refused to swap positions with Perez in the Brazilian GP. Subsequently, there was a war of words between the 2 drivers post-race.

What did Max Verstappen say about Valtteri Bottas?

Mercedes and Hamilton knew Bottas was their knight in shining armor. Valtteri’s selfless attitude and team spirit were pivotal in helping Mercedes win the 5 constructors’ titles. However, Verstappen feels like the Alfa Romeo driver was more of a number 2 driver rather than Lewis Hamilton’s teammate.

The Dutchman told Planet F1, “Every year he starts fresh. But after a few races you realise it’s not going to happen again and you accept your role. He still finished on podiums, he won a few races and took pole positions.”

He further added, “You just have to accept that the driver next to you is just a bit better. That’s fine, that can happen. It’s important that he accepted it. Some drivers can’t do that and then it goes completely wrong.”

Although Verstappen’s attack on Perez might be recent, Bottas predicted early on that he was a good team player. In an interview with Sky Sports on Small Talk back in 2019, the porridge lover revealed why he let Lewis Hamilton pass in one race.

READ MORE: “Read the Room? They Don’t Care About You”: Red Bull Faces Heat As Sergio Perez Left Begging On Brazilian GP Track

Valtteri Bottas said, “I let him past because he was fighting for the championship win in the driver’s championship and I wasn’t anymore. So at that point, I was a team player.”

“Proud” Lewis Hamilton gave an emotional farewell to Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes announced last year that Valtteri Bottas was leaving the team to join Alfa Romeo. The Finn was going to be replaced by George Russell. After the news dropped, Lewis Hamilton paid an emotional tribute to his best teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

The 7-time world champion took to Twitter to share his tribute. He tweeted, “I’m immensely proud to have worked alongside @ValtteriBottas for the last 5 yrs.”

He continued, “We’ve been part of a team that has delivered 4 Constructors’ Championships and we’ve motivated one another to keep pushing through the ups & downs. Thank you VB let’s finish strong.”

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What were your favorite Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas moment?