Valtteri Bottas has a lot to prove at the first race in Australia after taking up the vacant seat at world champions Mercedes, but he says he "will not panic" if he is slower than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Finnish driver showed strong pace during pre-season testing and looked comfortable in the car, but the pressure on him to finally deliver after four seasons at Williams is higher than ever, particularly as he joins the reigning world champions.
Bottas though doesn't see it that way, believing he has more to gain from the opportunity than he does to lose.
"I know I was lucky with Nico [Rosberg] retiring," he told Sport Bild. "It was always my goal to be sitting in a world-class car some day. Thanks to him this has now become possible. I can deliver.
"To be honest, I feel no more pressure than before. I simply feel that I have been given a special opportunity. I am allowed to drive the best Formula 1 car ever. I have much more to win than to lose."
Speaking of his new team-mate, Bottas is excited to learn from the Briton and knows it might take a few races before he's able to challenge Hamilton.
"He is the real benchmark", he added. "For me, it will be interesting to see how he tunes the car, how his driving style works. I'm watching a triple world champion at work. Not to use that opportunity would be stupid.
"I will not give in and I will not panic if Lewis is quicker. From the first race I have to be fully on it [but] know that my learning curve is steep."
Discussion about this post