A new car to drive. A new race engineer to talk to. When Formula 1 drivers move teams, they have a lot to learn.
As Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz adjust to life at Ferrari and Williams, F1 Explains explores the challenges drivers face when they switch sides.
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“All teams are definitely different,” Valtteri Bottas tells the podcast, with the Finn beginning his F1 career with Williams in 2012, before moving to Mercedes in 2017.
He then joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season, and returned to Mercedes as reserve driver in 2025.
“Every team is different in the way they work – different type of factories, different simulators, obviously different engineering teams. There is lots to get used to.”
Bottas’ former Mercedes team mate Hamilton said he felt ‘invigorated’ by his switch to Ferrari and the Finn agrees a new team can boost performance.
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“As a driver, it’s motivating to have something fresh and new,” he tells the podcast. “You’re really keen to do well. The only downside is you’re going to have a completely different racing car which you will have to adapt to, which can take sometimes two races to figure out what’s the best driving style.”
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In the full episode, which you can listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or on this page, Bottas also explains how drivers can change the layout of the buttons on their new team’s steering wheel, and how much control drivers have when deciding to move teams.
The full episode of F1 Explains is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other podcast apps, or you can listen using the player on this page.
F1 Explains is the official F1 podcast which answers your questions about the sport. You can send your questions to F1Explains@F1.com
