Bottas says tensions will rise in battle vs Hamilton

Valtteri Bottas expects tensions to rise with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season as he tries to do the unthinkable and beat his team-mate to the Formula One world championship.

The season gets under way in Melbourne on Sunday, and Bottas, the 28-year-old Finn could be defending champion hamilton’ s fierce st title challenger if, as expected, Mercedes begin the year with the best package.

Bottas won three times last season, but was left in the Briton’s shadow and finished 58 points adrift.

The cordiality between the two Mercedes drivers are far removed from the toxicity between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Rosberg, who will be a Sky Sports pundit this year, won the 2016 title, becoming only the second teammate after Jenson Button to have beaten Hamilton over a season.

Bottas said: “If Lewis and I are able to battle harder on track and go wheel-to-wheel then for sure there will be friction. If it comes to winning a race or defending a certain position then you need to go for it.

“We have spoken with the team about Nico’s season; what kind of things he did, how much he worked with the team, the things he focused on.

“But I don’t see the need to speak to Nico. By working in my own way, and my direction with the team there is no reason why we cannot fight for the title.”

Bottas will be in the spotlight as he bids to prove to Mercedes that he should be kept on for 2019, after being given only a 12-month contract extension.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo is out of contact at the end of the season, while Mercedes young guns’ Esteban Ocon, currently racing for Force India, and newly-promoted British reserve driver George Russell, wait in the wings.

“Everybody wants to be in the best car and that is normal,” Bottas added. “Everybody wants to move up in their career and at the moment I am in the best seat possible and I am very proud of that and I want to make the most of it.”