New Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas knows that he will be under the spotlight like never before in 2017, as he takes over from reigning champion Nico Rosberg putting alongside formidable team mate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas said that coping with the pressure will be crucial to achieving success in the upcoming campaign.

“It would be very easy to take a lot of pressure and stress yourself, he told Finnish broadcaster MTV. “But in Formula One I have noticed that if pressure piles up, it only does you harm.”

He added that the pressure wouldn’t come from media and fans, but rather from his own expectations of what he should be able to achieve now that he finally has a potential title-winning car under him.

“My goals are always so high – I set the bar really high – so I believe that if the pressure comes, it is mostly from me rather than the outside,” he said.

“I want to win races and championships and in that sense the objective is not changing. I have huge support from the team and that will certainly help me in every situation.”

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