Valtteri Bottas says he wouldn’t want a less competitive team mate than Lewis Hamilton, despite being on the verge of losing the championship to his fellow Mercedes driver for the third season in a row.

“I wouldn’t change the situation and I wouldn’t ever want to change the team mate just because it would be easier to win races, no way” said Bottas ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. “I like a challenge and for sure it’s not always easy. But nothing’s easy and when it comes the hard way, it feels better.”

Bottas needs to win the remaining three races with Hamilton scoring less than four points in order to stop his team mate taking the title. While that will be a tall order, he is on course for a best-ever championship finishing position of second. But he is convinced he can do better.

“I’m definitely thankful and feel good and proud to be part of this team, to be able to drive the car that has allowed me to produce the results that I’ve got so far and will, for sure, in the future, [allow] for a great result,” he said.

“I like the fact that it’s up to me. At the moment, we’re a winning team and able to be also in the future. If I can perform on the level I’m aiming at then anything is possible. So I wouldn’t change the situation.”

While Bottas has equalled Hamilton’s tally of pole positions this year, he has taken just three wins to his team mate’s 10. He said Hamilton’s advantage lies chiefly in “BOT: tyre management and driving style” during a race.

“You need to drive the car at certain circumstances and situations and strategies,” Bottas explained. “Being able to maximise the tyre life in an efficient way, that has normally given him an edge over some competitors in some races.”

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2019 F1 season