Lewis Hamilton vs Valtteri Bottas? Former Mercedes Finn picks his favorite duel against 7x champion

Valtteri Bottas revealed that he enjoyed some of his battles against former Mercedes teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Finn raced alongside the Brit for five seasons from 2017-2021 during their time at Mercedes and won the constructor's championship each season. Although Bottas was largely and comprehensively beaten by Hamilton during their time together, he did get the battle of the F1 legend in some instances.

While appearing on the Dirty Side of the Track podcast, Bottas pointed out two of his favorite battles against Lewis Hamilton driving for Mercedes. He said:

"I think one was definitely Silverstone. We had a good battle and I overtook him in the old pit straight Turn 1. That was nice but I think the best was Austin, US Grand Prix 2019. I got him twice and then I won the race. So that was great."

The duo went head-to-head for the driver's championship throughout the 2019 season but it was Hamilton who eventually came out on top and won his fifth title.

---

“For such a competitive nature, it was hard to accept" - Valtteri Bottas on Lewis Hamilton

Valtteri Bottas revealed that it was hard for him to accept that Hamilton was the better driver between the pair during their time together as teammates.

The 10-time race winner mentioned that it was exhausting being Lewis Hamilton's teammate as he would get the better of him every season they were together.

According to PlanetF1, he said:

“For such a competitive nature, it was hard to accept [I wasn’t as good]. It was only in the last year that I could accept that Lewis Hamilton was a better driver. I always wondered how I could beat him and win the World Championship. It was quite an exhausting five years.”

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also mentioned that Valtteri Bottas' move to Alfa Romeo last season was a good move for him, adding:

“I think that it was also a good moment for Valtteri to leave the team. The pressure was enormous on him and he didn’t want to be a wingman. I think having released him from that pressure, now he’s racing with Alfa, it is completely different and he seems also happier for me rather than this pressure cooker at Mercedes."

Both Bottas and Hamilton's contracts are expiring at the end of the 2023 season, so it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for the pair.