Lewis Hamilton left Valtteri Bottas ‘bitter’ as George Russell warned

Hamilton opens up on plans to remain in F1 ahead of 2023 season

Lewis Hamilton left Valtteri Bottas “bitter” after beating him at Mercedes, according to Karun Chandhok. The pundit and commentator claims it can be a “poisoned chalice” to go up against a generational talent like Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.

It acts as a major warning to George Russell who will likely be “compared to the genius” on the other side of the garage. Chandhok made the assessment speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Despite picking up a series of victories, Bottas was unable to ever challenge Hamilton for the title. By the end of his Mercedes career, Bottas was struggling to even challenge with just one win and one P2 finish in 2021.

Chandhok explained: “He just got more and more angry and frustrated and bitter about it. But I think of someone like Eddie Irvine, or someone like David Coulthard when he was up against Mika [Hakkinen] and there was a period where he was getting angrier and angrier, but then at some point, you just go, ‘there’ll be a year where the car suits me a bit better, and I’ll have a chance’.

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“But actually, guess what, you can have nine years at McLaren or whatever, make a lot of money, win some great races and build a great career. And this is it, I think it’s a poisoned chalice if your team-mate to Max [Verstappen], Lewis, [Michael] Schumacher, etc.

“It is quite good, because it means you’re inevitably in one of the best cars on the grid, or one of the top three, but the downside is you’re always compared to the genius in the other car.” Russell starred last year after he got the better of Hamilton over the course of his debut season at Mercedes.

The ex-Williams star also secured the team’s only win of the campaign after a superb victory in Brazil. However, he has struggled more this season as Hamilton fights back, edging out Russell three times over the first five races.

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But, Chandhok feels the issue could affect Sergio Perez more who is battling with Max Verstappen for the title. The Mexican has picked up two wins this campaign and is determined to fight for the crown despite Verstappen’s dominance.

Chandhok commented: “There’s no shame in being beaten by Max Verstappen I think. If you look at the history of the sport, every five, six, seven years, a genius comes along.”

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