An old friend and team-mate feels Lewis Hamilton has it within him to rediscover his form of old.
Valtteri Bottas has reassured Lewis Hamilton that life will be “way easier” in his second season with Ferrari, with the Finn hoping his former team-mate rediscovers his form from the time when they were at Mercedes.
Hamilton has endured a difficult first season with the Scuderia, effectively an extension of his final three years with Mercedes, after the introduction of the current ground-effect era that makes way for new regulations for 2026.
The seven-time F1 champion has yet to score a podium in his 20 grands prix with Ferrari, setting a new record for the team in the process, leaving him sixth in the drivers’ standings, 64 points behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Bottas, who spent five seasons with Hamilton at Mercedes, during which time the latter won four of his championships, appreciates “a little” why the Briton has struggled at Ferrari.
“It’s been a big change for him,” said Bottas, speaking in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365, ahead of transitioning from his reserve role with Mercedes this season into returning to the F1 grid with Cadillac next year.
“He spent such a long time here. He was so used to how the team works, and how he knew all the people by heart.
“Then you go to a team with a completely different mindset, all the new people around, and you also have a different kind of car to drive, a different kind of power unit, and it’s not easy.
“I’d love to see him still bounce back to when I’ve seen him at his best. Time will show.”
Hamilton ‘basic prep’ a help
Bottas has no doubt Hamilton will go into next season feeling far more confident at Ferrari with a year under his belt.
The 36-year-old knows from his personal past experiences of leaving Williams and on to Mercedes, and then to Sauber, that the second season is nowhere near as difficult to navigate.
There is also hope for Hamilton that he will be more suited to the revised car under the change of regulations, which includes a new power unit and associated aerodynamics.
“It’s so much easier starting a second year with a team,” assessed Bottas. “You’ve done all the basic prep over 12 months, and it’s just carrying on from where you left off from the last race of the previous year.
“You’ve more time to process everything and fine-tune things, whether it’s about yourself or the team members. It’s way easier in year two, so I guess we’ll see next year.”
