Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were team-mates for five seasons in between 2017 and 2021 at Mercedes; Bottas was shocked about the timing of Hamilton's announcement to join Ferrari in 2025; watch all 24 races this season live on Sky Sports F1
Saturday 10 February 2024 12:17, UK
Valtteri Bottas believes Lewis Hamilton will have no issues getting used to Ferrari when he joins the team in 2025.
Hamilton, who activated a release clause in his current Mercedes contract, has signed a multi-year deal with Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz at the end of this year.
Ferrari will be just the third team Hamilton has competed for after spending six seasons at McLaren and being at Mercedes since 2013.
Bottas was Hamilton's team-mate for five campaigns at Mercedes before he joined Sauber in 2022.
He saw Hamilton win four consecutive drivers' titles including a record-equalling seventh championship and new benchmarks for the most pole positions and wins.
"I've never thought about it [Hamilton joining Ferrari] happening. For sure, in a certain way it was a surprise and also the timing shocked everybody," Bottas told Sky Sports News.
"But that's F1. Things happen. Unfortunately all good things eventually come to an end but that means new doors open. I'm happy for Lewis. He's obviously made a decision himself and I'm sure he's keen for a fresh start. It's going to be interesting and I'm sure that's going to have an impact on the driver market for 2025."
Hamilton will be team-mates with Charles Leclerc, who is widely seen as one of the quickest drivers on the grid.
The British driver will be 40 years old next season but Bottas is confident he will be competitive against Leclerc.
"It's going to be a different experience for him but with all of his experience in F1, he's always been great with dealing with people and getting the most out of the team," continued Bottas.
"I'm positive he's going to do a great job there and shouldn't have issues getting used to the car either. He's a pretty adaptive guy."
As for Bottas' own future, he is among the 14 drivers without a contract beyond the upcoming season, which begins live on Sky Sports F1 with pre-season testing between February 21-23 in Bahrain before the opening race weekend on February 29 to March 2.
Alfa Romeo ended their partnership with Sauber at the end of last year and have been rebranded with a constructor name of Kick Sauber for 2024.
The team based in Hinwil, Switzerland are preparing for Audi to take over as a works outfit from 2026 and Bottas admits he wants to race for the German manufacturer.
"It is the priority to be here," said Bottas regarding Audi's arrival in two years.
"It's a contract year for me and nothing has been confirmed yet but it's a great motivation for me to have a good start to the year and hopefully a good future with a great brand.
"Now it's not time to think about it. It's time to get racing and then we will see."
24 races in 2024! Watch every round of next season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix from February 29-March 2. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership
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