Hamilton clarifies data sharing comments with Bottas

Lewis Hamilton says he has 'zero problems' with Mercedes or Valtteri Bottas after his comments against data sharing between team-mates sparked a heated debate with just a week to go until pre-season testing.

The three-time F1 world champion revealed he was against the practice of data sharing when he was quizzed for what he would change about the sport during a Facebook live interview with sponsor UBS.

"I go out, do my laps, do all my homework and the other guy can see everything and I don't think they should. I have asked my team. I don't want to see my team-mate's. I don't feel it's fair that he brings his A-game and I should be able to study his A-game on a computer," Hamilton said on Friday.

"Because of this data they can just copy you. 'Oh, he is braking five metres later there, I'll go out and I'll try braking five metres later'... So that's what I really dislike, because it enables them to get closer."

After these comments fed speculation Hamilton was going to refuse to share data with new team-mate Bottas the British driver has clarified his position via his social media channels and says he has 'zero problems' with Mercedes and Bottas.

"I wish to clarify, I have not hit out at my team at all," he said on Twitter. "My point on data sharing is solely my feelings about the sport in general.

"It has been my feeling since the day I started F1 and still is 10 years later. There is zero problems in my team, zero problems with Bottas."

Hamilton will welcome new team-mate Bottas to the Mercedes fold at the team's official F1 launch at Silverstone on Thursday 23rd February - just four days before the opening pre-season test at Circuit de Catalunya to mark the start of the 2017 F1 season.

Get ready for the new season: 2017 F1 team and car launch dates

Bottas became a late replacement for Mercedes after world champion Nico Rosberg shocked the F1 world by announcing his retirement just days after clinching the world title in Abu Dhabi.

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