Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas will work well together, says Mercedes boss

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will line up as team-mates for the first time at the season-opening Australian GP on 26 March

MERCEDES boss Toto Wolff is confident there will be no trouble between Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas when the 2017 season gets under way in March.

Bottas landed the drive alongside Hamilton after Nico Rosberg retired five days after winning the 2016 title.

Hamilton and Rosberg’s relationship deteriorated when they were team-mates but Wolff does not expect a repeat.

“They respect each other and so far from what I have seen, Valtteri has settled in well,” said Wolff.

“The balance between Valtteri and Lewis works. They are two very different personalities. Nico had a certain role in the team and Valtteri pretty much fits into that.

“We believe the interaction and dynamics between the two drivers is going to work well.”

Bottas, who has joined Mercedes after four seasons at Williams, has been at the team’s Brackley headquarters since Monday, working in the simulator and meeting his new colleagues.

Mercedes won 19 of 21 grands prix last season en route to their third consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ titles, but with sweeping rule changes in play for 2017, Wolff is in cautious mood.

“The guys are pushing flat out in order to bring the car and engine in to meet the performance targets we have set ourselves,” he said.

“I am most excited to see how the new car is going to go because we all expect them to be much faster and look spectacular plus much more physical for the drivers.

“We have set aggressive targets for where the car should be going, also with the engine, and we are pushing flat out to achieve those targets.

“Will those targets be enough or will other teams get out of the blocks better than us? We don’t know.” bbc.com