Lewis Hamilton says that he is happy to see former team-mate Valtteri Bottas “flourish” in his personal life.
Bottas partnered Hamilton at Mercedes for several years, before he joined Alfa Romeo at the start of 2022.
At the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, Bottas spent time promoting a new gin brand that he is investing in, along with his partner Tiffany Cromwell.
He also showed up to media day at Albert Park wearing a tank top, shorts and flip-flops to further embrace the Australian culture that he has enjoyed in recent years.
“I think that as a rookie I wouldn’t have come to the paddock with flip-flops and so on,” Bottas said.
“Now it’s a bit easier to set up things and I don’t take myself too serious, so it definitively changes with time.
“In this sport, as a rookie you have to go through the system, you’re almost educated on how to behave, how to brand yourself and so on, but then comes a point of ‘this is who I am, deal with it’.”
Earlier this year, Bottas revealed that he had an eating disorder in his early years in F1 as he gained an obsession with keeping fit.
When asked about his former team-mate and the level of comfort that he is expressing, Hamilton said: “It’s great, I just saw Valtteri in flip flops right now with his tan lines around his socks, his sock line!
“It’s great to see him flourish and feeling more and more a part of himself and knowing where he wants to go.
“I think just for everyone, it’s a whole discovery process, isn’t it? Compartmentalising and just making space for happiness away from the track.
“I think probably the same applies to everyone here, all of us work so hard, we’re all travelling so much, we’re all away from our families and friends so much that we’re missing out on a lot of things.
“What are you doing to make time for yourself, and for something that makes you happy?
“I think that’s such an important thing for mental health, to make sure you find something that you love, whether it’s taking a language course or playing an instrument or playing football, whatever it may be.
“It’s cool that he’s got his things that he’s doing, I wish him all the best with it.”
