Nico Hulkenberg believes going up against Daniel Ricciardo at Renault provides an "opportunity to prove himself", executive director Marcin Budkowski claims.
When the German joined the works manufacturer team at the start of 2017 it was seen as very much his last chance to achieve success in Formula 1, as his well-known talent has always been hidden in the midfield.
Now, as Ricciardo joins from Red Bull, some might argue that chance has passed, with the Australian now expected to lead Renault forward.
However: "For Nico now having Daniel coming with his reputation as a very quick driver, overtaker and proven race winner, he sees it as an opportunity to prove himself," Budkowski stated.
"His reaction was not at all unhappy that someone of the calibre of Daniel was coming, he was very happy about it. He feels it's a great opportunity for himself to show what he's capable of."
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A line-up of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo is certainly one that any top team would likely accept and while both drivers do carry an ego despite their relaxed nature, the Renault chief doesn't expect that to be an issue.
"We're going to have an interesting interaction there between two drivers who have never been competing against each other in the same team, who are both highly rated," he noted.
"But I don't expect that to be a problematic relationship at all. Quite the opposite."
