Bottas hails 'great team spirit at Mercedes'

Valtteri Bottas praises the 'great team spirit' which prevails at Mercedes this season as his relationship with team mate Lewis Hamilton grows.

The Finn, who was drafted in from Williams earlier this year to replace retired world champion Nico Rosberg, achieved his first win with the Silver Arrows outfit in Russia.

Following last Sunday's Mercedes one-two in Montreal, Lewis Hamilton revealed that his association with Bottas embodied a united team.

The Silver Arrows' new recruit agreed, although he admitted that away from the race track, he and his team mate are very different individuals.

"We will get to know each other better during the season, because before this year I didn't know Lewis well," said Bottas.

Hamilton: 'Mercedes one-two feels better with Valtteri'

"We are definitely very different. I like to stay in a calm environment, at home with my family. I care very much about my privacy, while Lewis is more social and good around people.

"But we have a very professional relationship and respect, but at the same time we want to beat each other on the track. We accept this and can work together well.

"I think there's a great team spirit," he added.

Bottas is on a one-year contract at Mercedes and so far has performed according to the team's expectations.

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Both Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda have hailed the squad's new dynamic, a positive point for Bottas which brightens his prospects for next year.

"Of course I hope to stay at Mercedes," he told Italy's Sky broadcaster.

"But it's still too early to talk about it. I'm thinking about doing well day by day, race by race so I'm focusing on the present.

"The season is still very long, but the main thing was to be back after Monaco where Ferrari was clearly quicker than us.

"We improved a lot after Monaco, making good progress and finding a better setup and also with the tyres.

"We're expecting a very close fight in the championship, so every little progress is very important."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.