Nico Rosberg “disrespected” by Lewis Hamilton’s comments naming Valtteri Bottas as best teammate

Lewis Hamilton’s former teammate and rival at Mercedes, Nico Rosberg, has jokingly claimed that he was “disrespected” by the former naming Valtteri Bottas as the best teammate he ever had in F1.

Speaking in a post-season interview with Sky Sports F1, the 2016 F1 world champion was asked if he agreed with Hamilton’s assessment. In response, Rosberg said:

“No, I do feel that as disrespect. I mean what did I do wrong?”

Despite a light-hearted dig at his former team-mate, Rosberg admitted that Bottas played a crucial role, supporting Hamilton’s title battles against Ferrari. He also affirmed the Finn's role in helping the Silver Arrows notch up five consecutive constructors titles since his arrival. The German said:

“In the Constructors’ Championship yes absolutely, five years, it created a very good atmosphere, a very healthy atmosphere within the team. Which was different from my time. And that has given it a very good strength, so Mercedes is Constructors’ Champion. Valtteri did much better than Perez (in 2021), so he deserves credit.”

Valtteri Bottas famously had a good relationship with his team-mate throughout his time with the Silver Arrows. Part of that was down to the Finn’s inability to mount a title campaign challenging Hamilton’s dominance.

After five relatively successful years, which included a dozen wins, an equal number of pole positions, and more podiums, Bottas is moving to Alfa Romeo for the upcoming season.

Ahead of the Finn’s last race with the team, Hamilton had praised Bottas' contribution to their combined success, claiming that the latter was the best teammate he has ever had in F1.

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Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton apparently sorted their differences after former’s retirement

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton partnered at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016 when the duo developed a fierce rivalry battling for the driver’s championship. Being childhood friends, who grew up racing karts together, they initially got along well at the team.

Their relationship started to take a hit during the latter part of 2015, however, when their title battle intensified. Rosberg finally won the title the following year, after a bitter championship battle that went down to the wire. The German decided to hang up his helmet soon after, paving the way for Bottas’ arrival from Williams the following season.

While their relationship took a serious hit due to their on-track rivalry, the duo seems to have patched things up after Rosberg announced his shock retirement at the end of 2016. In recent years, the German has emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of Lewis Hamilton.