Lewis Hamilton theory put forward by Valtteri Bottas after upturn in Ferrari form
Bottas was Hamilton's team-mate for 100 races, more than any other driver.
Valtteri Bottas believes Lewis Hamilton has not “lost any of his ability” and that this generation of cars having a “bit of his DNA in it” is behind his upturn in form.
A podium-less season in his first year at Ferrari had some wondering whether Hamilton was finished at the very top level, but he has made a return to the top end in 2026 and opened his Ferrari victory account in Barcelona.
Valterti Bottas says ‘DNA’ behind Lewis Hamilton comeback
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No one has shared a garage with Hamilton more than the 100 of Bottas, and so the now-Cadillac driver is well placed to analyse what has changed in his former teammate from the previous seasons to now.
Following a disappointing end to his Mercedes career and his lacklustre debut year at Ferrari, Hamilton took his first Ferrari grand prix win in Barcelona, and has recorded three further podiums in 2026. He looks to be back to his near best.
Bottas believes a change in the “DNA” of the cars is behind that but suggested Hamilton never “lost any of his ability.”
“Naturally people are happier the better the racing goes on track,” Bottas said in Barcelona. “And he seems in a good place.
“It’s good to see that he’s shown that he hasn’t lost any of his ability to do great qualifying, great races.
“So maybe these types of cars are a bit different than in the past, maybe it’s the first car that has a bit of his DNA in it. Those small things can make a big difference, because in the end, this sport, again, we’re talking such fine margins but it’s good to see.”
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Asked whether it was surprising to see such a slump from Hamilton last season, Bottas said it was but suggested the Ferrari driver was “really hard on himself.”
“I would say so, it seemed like he was really hard on himself as well.
“Now he’s in a more normal place, and that’s good to see.”
Bottas also spoke of how moving to a new outfit in Cadillac made operational issues a far bigger concern than they were at Mercedes, suggesting the problems were more numerous than he had even expected.
“I knew we had to go through this phase and there’s been a lot of problem solving, maybe even more than I thought.
“But I knew what I was jumping into. Absolutely, that makes me really appreciate the big teams, how everything works so well, and you don’t think about some of the stuff, when you’re a team that just works perfectly enough.
“There’s so much going on in the background, the preparation, the problem solving they’ve had to do 20 years ago, and it keeps going.
“I’ve learned a lot this year about how actually a Formula 1 team works, and it’s… it’s quite, kind of cool to see that, but yeah, we’ve made big steps so far as a team, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
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