Valtteri Bottas details Lewis Hamilton encounter after Abu Dhabi with retirement theory

The Finnish driver left Mercedes after spending five years racing alongside Hamilton.

The pair built a strong working relationship during their time together with Bottas admitting that Hamilton’s ability to improve every year is “really impressive”.

That partnership came to an end after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Bottas fully aware that Hamilton was still hurting from the final lap fiasco.

But despite ongoing speculation of Hamilton’s possible retirement, Bottas fully expects his former team-mate to be lining up on the grid in Bahrain on March 20.

”I think the last race of this season was a good example,” Bottas said on a podcast with Supla.

“I saw him many days after the race and the mood was still like at a funeral.

“Even when he knows it wasn’t him who lost that race and he was robbed of it, you know, it’s hard to swallow it being taken away like that.”

“But you just wait and he’ll be back twice as strong as he does every time, that’s who he is.”

Bottas also went on to give some detail on the work Hamilton puts in behind the scenes to give himself the best chance of winning the title.

“I work very hard with the team, go over everything very precisely,” he added.

“But Lewis, if he hears I have been at the factory two days, he goes for three days.

“If he feels uncertain about something, he does something to fix it.”