Valtteri Bottas has been a favorite Finnish delight for many. While he might not have won a championship with Mercedes, the man is beloved and has a heart of gold. Fans often criticized the Finn for playing a second fiddle to Sir Lewis Hamilton. “Let Lewis pass” is the best way to possibly describe Bottas’ career for many. But none of that has jeopardized the friendship that the two of them share.

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are still friends

Valtteri, in his five-year stint with the Brackley team, has learned and achieved a lot. He has been a very important factor in Mercedes’ dominance over the last few years and has been a consistent point achiever. The Finnish driver has also given some tremendous performances for the team. While he must’ve been hurt when Mercedes dropped him for George Russell, in his heart Bottas knew it was time to leave.

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Despite cutting ties with the Silver Arrows, Bottas has maintained a wonderful friendship with Hamilton. Revealing a few facts, he said, “In a way, nothing has changed. Maybe we’re not teammates, but we’re still friends. We have a good relationship because we’ve accomplished a lot as teammates. I think these kinds of friendships are permanent.” Alongside this, Bottas also claimed that he and Lewis share the same flights and maintain the same friendship.

Bottas going strong with his new team

Lewis arguably has the least friends on the grid despite spending a lot of time in F1. However, he still has a friend in Valtteri, although the two are no longer on the same team.

But the Finn seems much happier now with his new team. Despite not having a world championship car, the man has turned in tremendous results for Alfa Romeo. He and his new teammate Guanyu Zhou have managed to land their team in P6 after 2 races. Considering their last year’s performance, P6 seems to be a good spot for the Switzerland-based team.

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Funny how the tables have turned as Mercedes is struggling and Bottas is outpacing a Mercedes, despite being in an Alfa Romeo.