Joining forces for 100 Grands Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have managed to become one of the longest and most successful pairings of drivers in the history of Formula 1 and, in turn, also one of the healthiest.
Certainly frustrated by his inability to compete against his teammate on a regular basis, Bottas became a team driver and contributed greatly to the nine world titles (4 drivers’ and 5 constructors’) won by Mercedes during that period.
In 2022, however, Mercedes decided to promote George Russell, who after three years at the Williams team made the final leap to replace Bottas .
There is no doubt that Russell could give Hamilton more trouble than Bottas , which is why Mika Häkkinen believes he could change the mood at the team.
“I think and I know from experience that Lewis is quite sensitive,” the two-time world champion said on Unibet ‘s YouTube channel. “He’s a very sensitive person. When Valtteri was Lewis’s teammate, the teamwork was perfect. Now with Russell… The teamwork could be very different. That’s where Lewis could get irritated.”
Changing the subject, Häkkinen made an amazing prediction before the Bahrain GP related to Max Verstappen: “I’m sure he will be faster than ever. From experience I know that winning a title gives you about two tenths a lap. It’s unbelievable, but it gives you more confidence.”
“The way you drive becomes more precise. Not only are you going full throttle, but you know what’s a good lap and what’s not. I think Max is capable of doing that. But the question is how much risk will he be willing to take? run. We will see that in the coming months,” he added.
As for Sergio Pérez, who played a very important role in Verstappen ‘s title by keeping Hamilton at bay in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Häkkinen acknowledged that he does not have high hopes for him: “I don’t want to say that I don’t respect, because he is fast, but if I look at him in general, I don’t think he has any chance of becoming world champion.”
