Lewis Hamilton says going up against a rival driver from another outfit is "easier" than fighting his own team-mate because the dynamic within the squad changes.
Hamilton is currently locked in an intense battle for the championship with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, with just 12 points splitting the pair after seven races.
Hamilton, who has been paired with Valtteri Bottas in the wake of Nico Rosberg's retirement, has explained that the current situation against Vettel is "easier" than his battles with Rosberg, the duo having scrapped for the title between 2014 and 2016, amid Mercedes' dominance.
“It’s easier battling another team," Hamilton told the FIA's AUTO magazine. "There’s a whole mental shift, the whole team’s dynamic shifts in a powerful way.
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-120x86.webp)
"When [the competition] is all within a team it’s just like a big vortex, and depending on the tension it gets stronger and stronger and is actually not really what a team is built to be.
“Now having another team [to fight] we are pulling together with that same drive – it’s just so much more powerful, it’s really awesome."
Hamilton, who at the last race in Canada matched Ayrton Senna's pole position tally, added that he would like to be remembered in a similar light to the Brazilian legend when he ultimately retires from the sport.
"I don’t really think too much about it to be honest," he said of his potential legacy. "I think you could probably get caught up in what you want your legacy to be. I can’t envisage what it’s going to be.
“The only thing I can think of in the racing world is that I want to be known as a hard, out-and-out but fair racer.
"Ayrton Senna – the way he’s remembered today I hope that I’m remembered in a similar light.
"Since I started racing that was always my goal, to do something similar to Ayrton, to emulate him. I hope when I’m gone people can respect my commitment, my ability and my drive the way they respected his."
![Aston Martin managed its first race finish of 2026 with Fernando Alonso [behind] completing the distance](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Aston-Martin-Honda-Japanese-GP-350x250.webp)
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