Niki Lauda believes the new-for-2017 regulations will help Valtteri Bottas to settle in at Mercedes as it provides him with a clean sheet going up against three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Finnish driver replaces current champion Nico Rosberg, whose decision to retire at the end of the 2016 season has left Bottas with little time to settle in at Mercedes before testing begins later this month in Spain.
However Lauda reckons the new rules will aid Bottas in his fight against team-mate Hamilton as both drivers will be racing a brand new car and can therefore work together to develop it to their own requirements.
"He doesn't have much time to settle in," Lauda told Auto Motor und Sport. "Everything is new to him and to us. But Bottas has two advantages; he is coming into a top team – this makes it easier to find your bearings.
"And we are racing this year with completely new cars. They are also new to Lewis. Lewis can not build on a car he already knows. Both of them can therefore work from the very beginning when tuning the car so that it suits them."
Lauda is confident Bottas's arrival can be a positive for the team and expects the former Williams driver to impress.
"A team change can have a positive effect on the work and motivation," he said.
"I think he can be as good as Rosberg and deliver the performances that we expect of him," he added. "He has the right prerequisites. Finns are basically good racing drivers."
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