[ad_1]
“It’s not easy being my teammate”: Lewis Hamilton clarifies why Valtteri Bottas faces a huge points difference against him this season.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas compete in every Grand Pix in the same car, but why does Hamilton always stand tall? The answer was given by Carlos Sainz a few weeks ago.
“90% would probably win races and poles at Mercedes. But if you put half the field against Hamilton in a Mercedes, 90% would not win it. “Said the Spaniard and that is the case with Bottas, in short, Hamilton is the best F1 driver of this generation.
Buzz in Bahrain 🤩
Can’t anyone else wait for W11 to shine under the lights? Get back on track tomorrow, team! 🖤#BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/4Z10juDjrL
– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) November 26, 2020
However, the Brit has a separate analogy for this gap between the two, as he credited Bottas more than anything and also acknowledged his consistency throughout this season.
“The media have commented on ‘[Bottas] 2.0 ‘and it’s so true, ”said Hamilton. “Every year you can see him just grafting in, skimping trying to raise the bar in so many different areas.
“You’ve seen it this year, while yes, the point difference now is where it is, if you look at a lot of the standings [sessions], was the smallest of the margins. So closing the gap in qualifying, he already has, which has made it a challenge.
“In the race setting, naturally, you can obviously see the consistency I’ve had this year. [been] really what made the difference. But if you look at race weekends, it was so close.
“Of course there is a point difference of seven points [between P1 and P2] and that consistently over a period of time [adds up]. Valtteri has also been unlucky this year with the reliability issues, so [the points gap] it looks even bigger than it is. “
Which is true, Bottas faced a series of unfortunate incidents, which saw him lose at crucial points, a late tire failure at the British Grand Prix that led to him finishing 11th. Damage at Monza made him finish fifth.
An emitted unit of power caused Bottas to retire at the Nurburgring despite leading the opening phase of the race, and he suffered damage in Turkey following a first-lap crash with Esteban Ocon, contributing to his 14th place.
Respect for Bottas spirit, but it’s not easy being my teammate: Lewis Hamilton
Additionally, Hamilton emphasized the improvements made by Bottas and how he approached the World Champion, which has apparently made his job difficult, but at the same time admitted that he himself was too consistent this season.
“When I talk about people who need to give Valtteri their due respect, I think you have to remember who he’s up against,” Hamilton said.
“It is not easy being my teammate. But he comes every weekend with the same mentality. He never complains, he complains that something is wrong with the car. It’s always just: ‘I have to do a better job.’
“I don’t know of any other driver who does that here, and I think it’s something we share in common, I’d like to think. We come into these weekends with a fresh head and I think that, mentally, he is one of the strongest drivers here. “
[ad_2]
