"Lewis will be a great reference for me," says Finn after completing Mercedes move. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him better."
Tuesday 17 January 2017 12:54, UK
Valtteri Bottas has spoken of his admiration of new team-mate Lewis Hamilton but is confident he can compete with the three-time world champion at Mercedes.
The Finn has completed his move to the Silver Arrows from Williams after six weeks of negotiations, replacing the retired Nico Rosberg to become Hamilton's fifth team-mate in Formula 1.
Hamilton ranks second in the history books for total victories with 53 while Bottas is still seeking his first win, but the 27-year-old believes he will be "very close" to the Briton.
"Lewis will be a great reference for me," Bottas told Sky Sports News HQ's Rachel Brookes. "Everyone knows how good he is, he's a great driver. I'm sure as a pair we can work well.
"My target is to get everything out of the car from the very first race. I know I'm capable of that and if I do we will be very close with Lewis."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who is stepping down from Bottas' management due to a potential conflict of interest, claimed Hamilton said he "gets on very well with Valtteri" when told of the team's decision.
Bottas concurred and was optimistic of a harmonious relationship between the two drivers, which could be a breath of fresh air for Wolff after an often-destructive Hamilton-Rosberg era.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know him better," Bottas said. "I see no issues between us and I'm sure we'll work well together, pushing hard on the track but at the same time pushing the team forward together as team-mates."
His move to the triple constructors' champions sees Felipe Massa re-join Williams just two months after retiring from F1 and while Bottas was thankful to his former team, he was looking forward to the next stage of his career.
"The Drivers' Championship is now the only goal for me," he added.
