Lewis Hamilton handed uncertain verdict by F1 ally after 'tricky' Ferrari start

Valtteri Bottas hopes Lewis Hamilton will "bounce back" from his difficult first season at Ferrari, but ultimately believes only time will tell if the British driver can recover to race-winning ways.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion made the switch from Mercedes over the winter, riding to Maranello on a wave of expectation and optimism.

However, the partnership has thus failed to live up to the anticipation, and if Hamilton does not score a podium at the next round, the United States Grand Prix, he will beat Didier Pironi's unfortunate record for the longest start to a Ferrari tenure without a trip to the rostrum.

The high points for the 40-year-old this campaign have both come in sprints, with victory in Shanghai and third place in Miami.

Bottas, who was team-mate to Hamilton at Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, has been quick to point out how challenging moving teams can be.

Speaking to Crash.net, the 10-time grand prix winner said: "I hope he [Hamilton] will bounce back. But time will show if he will.

"He's had some good moments [at Ferrari], a bit of bad luck as well. But it's tricky. It's not easy changing a team after such a long time at Mercedes, being kind of the lead man.

"It's a very different environment that he's working with now. I can't really say much more than say time will show if things go better or not. But I really hope so because I think he deserves still great results in this sport."

Having spent 2025 on the sidelines as reserve driver at the eight-time F1 constructors' champions, Bottas will join Cadillac next year as he returns to full-time racing.

That will mark the third time the Finnish driver has moved teams in his F1 career, but he does not feel his experience is a like-for-like comparison with Hamilton's, given he has only ever joined new teams at the start of a regulations cycle.

"It depends on which team you go to and how different is the car," said the former Williams, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo/Stake driver.

"I've had my experiences, but normally it's been actually during a regulation change. So for me it’s hard to predict."

The 36-year-old added: "I don't know inside the team how they operate, how they work and what the struggles are. So I can't really say much more than that, really."