Valtteri Bottas has a new look and a new single-minded approach ahead of his most important year in Formula 1.
The Finn is under pressure to prove himself worthy at Mercedes after a torrid 2018 which saw him finish 161 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton and with Esteban Ocon now perched as reserve driver.
In fact, Bottas has already declared last year "will never happen again" and has evoked some of that Scandinavian spirit with a new beard.
"I did not shave in the winter, I liked how it looks and it fits with what I want to convey," he said in Barcelona this week.
"I'm ready to do what's necessary this year to achieve my goals, and if I have to work harder in some places, that's part of it."
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Since joining in 2017, some feel Bottas has been too soft with his predecessor Nico Rosberg suggesting he should follow his approach from 2016 and become more of a "villain".
That means no longer submitting as Hamilton's 'wingman', as he became known last year, and certainly no repeat of the events in Sochi.
"In that situation, if I was there again, I would act differently," Bottas stated, referring to giving up the victory in Russia.
"I only have one career, and if I always support instead of attack for myself, I will never reach my goals.
"I've been in F1 for six years now and I'm not where I want to be. I want to be able to say at the end of the year: I did everything. I could not have done better."
Having ended 2018 at an all-time low confidence-wise, Valtteri admits he only confided in one person to pick himself up: "The man in the mirror."
