'Bottas could throw Hamilton off his game if he starts well'

Nico Rosberg believes that Valtteri Bottas could overcome his struggles at Mercedes by hitting the ground running in Melbourne. Teammate Lewis Hamilton has historically been strong around the Albert Park circuit but his former teammate thinks a strong start for Bottas could upset his rhythm.

Bottas was eclipsed by Hamilton throughout the previous campaign and was relegated to 'rear-gunner' for the end phase of the season as the Silver Arrows looked to kill off any threat by Ferrari.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, the 2016 champion explained that Bottas has to show fight in 2019 and start the season well, adding that the momentum could be crucial to his fight with Hamilton throughout the season. 

"Valtteri is a lot better than he's been able to show recently," Rosberg said.

"With a new season starting again he has a good chance of establishing himself in a much stronger position and even really (be) annoying Lewis quite a lot.

"I think that's possible. It always depends how the season starts. Last year he had a lot of bad luck as well. If the luck is on his side and he starts well, it could be a whole different situation."

Bottas will be facing a lot of pressure throughout the new season with recently promoted George Russell racing in his first ever F1 season with Williams after taking the Formula 2 crown last year.

Another threat to his Mercedes seat could come in the form of Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman won't be on the grid in 2019 but is highly rated by the team and could fill a seat at the team in the future should the Finn not pick up his performance level.