LEWIS HAMILTON has praised Valtteri Bottas as his best team-mate in Formula One, ahead of the Finn’s departure from Mercedes. But his role in four Constructors’ titles and Hamilton’s rise to seven championships did not go unrecognised at the team’s Brackley base. Hamilton wrote on Instagram: “I’m immensely proud to have worked alongside Bottas for the last five years. The pair are hardly strangers, with the youngster part of the Mercedes setup for over four years. The Spaniard dramatically fell out with Hamilton at Hungary in 2007 following the then-rookie’s amazing start in F1. And Jenson Button was simply a different character to the now-celebrity Hamilton during their four years together at McLaren.

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