Valtteri Bottas has claimed that former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton deserved to win his eighth Formula 1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton was beaten to the line by title rival Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances in the final race of the Formula 1 season.
Race director Michael Masi appeared to manipulate the last lap of the race in a manner that hugely benefited Verstappen and gifted him his first Championship victory.
While Hamilton’s teammate Valterri Bottas, who has now left Mercedes for Alfa Romeo, refused to criticise Masi in his post-race interview, he has now claimed that the Briton deserved to win.
Quoted by the Mirror, Bottas said: It hurts that Lewis didn’t get the Drivers’ [Championship], I feel like I lost the championship because he lost it.”
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“I really feel gutted for him because I feel like he deserved it. Lewis had a great race and then things change like this.”
All due respect to Bottas, but if he showed the same commitment to helping his teammate as Sergio Perez did in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton may well have been crowned champion.
Instead, when the seven-time champ was in desperate need of a leg-up, Bottas was nowhere to be seen. Hamilton will be hoping that George Russell is rather more helpful.
