Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes Valtteri Bottas will put up a stronger fight against Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
Last year, despite a strong start to the season, a drop in confidence and poor luck resulted in the Finn ultimately playing a support role to the Briton, including giving up a victory at the Russian Grand Prix.
Now, however, with junior driver Esteban Ocon as reserve driver, the pressure is building on Bottas to prove himself worthy of the seat he has held since the start of 2017.
“Valtteri knows he has the full backing of the team to succeed," Wolff said at the launch of the Mercedes W10 this week. "He's excited to get back in the car and show his critics what he can do."
Following the disappointment of 2018, the Austrian also stated that Bottas has come back from the winter reinvigorated and remotivated.
“We had a good chat after the break," he revealed. "He was in a good place and has been able to fully reset after a season that was not always easy for him.
“He was refreshed, he's extremely hungry, and he wants to start racing again.
"I'm really looking forward to a strong competition between the two of them [Bottas and Hamilton]," Wolff added. "Racing each other hard and fighting hard against our rivals."
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This season sees Mercedes aim for a sixth straight double championship triumph but their motorsport boss recently criticised rule changes for 2019 which he claimed were introduced to 'damage' his team.
Even so, he insists it is now upto the Brackley-based crew to once again rise to the challenge.
"We have to start from scratch and we need to prove ourselves again, against our own expectations and against our competitors," Wolff declared.
“We start the season with zero points, so we're taking nothing for granted. There's absolutely no feeling of entitlement to be at the front.
"With the regulation change for the new season, every team can have a shot at the title. We're seeing all of them as a potential threat," he concluded.
