The Finn definitely had a spring in his step as he made his way to the Mercedes garage and to his new ride, which he described as ‘the best looking car I’ve ever seen’.

When he stepped out a little later on after taking the Silver Arrows for a spin, he was even more enthusiastic.

“I’ve never driven a car with that much downforce!,’ he said.

The jury is still out on whether Mercedes’ new recruit, who has yet to win a Grand Prix, can beat Hamilton on his own merit.

Regardless of what pundits believe, the Finn is convinced he can do it.

“The stopwatch is not going to lie,” he said. “We will see very soon how everything goes.

“But if I thought that I couldn’t compare or be quicker than Lewis, I would rather stay at home. I do believe in my skills and that it is possible – but I do need to go step by step, day by day, race by race.

“It is a big learning curve for me, and we still haven’t done a single lap together in the same car, so it is only guessing how we will compare. But we will find out soon.”

Check out Valtteri’s Bottas’ impression in the video below…