Valtteri Bottas will head into Formula One's season opener still in dreamland after securing the hottest seat in the sport - but the Mercedes new boy insists he is ready to take the world championship fight to Lewis Hamilton this year.

Bottas, the understated Finnish driver, fills the reigning title holder's cockpit after he was elected by Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg at the sport's all-conquering team.

The 27-year-old is yet to win in nearly 80 appearances, but he will start the new season among Hamilton's chief contenders for a fourth title after it was announced in January that he would partner the Briton at a team which has won 51 of the last 59 races.

The 2017 Formula 1 grid Show all 20 1 /20 The 2017 Formula 1 grid The 2017 Formula 1 grid Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari Vettel finished fourth last season and will hope improvements to the team's 1.6-litre V6 will help him back onto the podium. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari The experienced Finn largely underperformed last season. At 37, could be his final season racing for a top team. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Sergio Perez, Force India Perez retains the drive he has held since 2014. Force India again use the Mercedes-AMG engine. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Esteban Ocon, Force India The talented 20-year-old raced in 9 Grand Prix for Manor last season and earns a call-up to a much more competitive team. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Romain Grosjean, Haas Haas had a very good season last year, finishing 8th with their Ferrari engine. Grosjean will look to improve on his 13th place finish. AFP/Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Kevin Magnussen, Haas The Dane moves from Renault to Haas. Struggled last season. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren The talented Belgian, who scored a world championship point in the unfamiliar MP4-31 last year, replaces Jenson Button at McLaren. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Fernando Alonso, McLaren The youngest double champion of all-time remains at McLaren for the 2017 season, despite a well publicised approach from Mercedes. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes The team - and driver - to beat since the infamous V6 rule changes came into place in 2014. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes Bottas replaces world champion Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, Will push Hamilton all the way this campaign. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Adrian Newey has completely redesigned the RB13 for the 2017 season and Ricciardo will be hopeful of bettering last year's 3rd place finish. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Max Verstappen, Red Bull There will be plenty of attention on Verstappen as he completes his first full season at Red Bull. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Hulkenberg moves to the team from Force India, replacing Kevin Magnussen. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Jolyon Palmer, Renault The Brit came under pressure last year for a disappointing 18th-place finish. Will be hopeful of improvement. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Marcus Ericsson, Sauber Sauber were poor last season and were plagued by retirements. Ericsson nevertheless remains with the team for a third campaign. AFP/Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber The 22-year-old wins a drive at Sauber, moving from Manor Racing. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso Resigned to Toro Rosso after plenty of speculation; will be desperate to show he shouldn't have been replaced by Verstappen at Red Bull. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso Now in his third season with the team. Toro Rosso this year return to a Renault engine. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Lance Stroll, Williams 18-year-old rookie. Stroll's first appearance in the car didn't inspire confidence, he spun the car in testing. Getty The 2017 Formula 1 grid Felipe Massa, Williams Heroically returns to the team after Bottas departed for Mercedes. One of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Getty

Mercedes' unprecedented reign of dominance will face the sternest of tests this season following a sweeping overhaul of the technical regulations - but should they continue their success then Bottas, for the first time in his grand prix career which started with Williams in 2013, will have a car capable of fighting for the championship.

"I am really excited about the new season in Formula One," said Bottas with just five days to go before this year's curtain raiser at Melbourne's Albert Park. "It is a new era with the regulation changes as well as me changing to a different team.

"It is a great challenge for everyone, but especially for me. Mercedes has been winning for the last three years so it is kind of a dream come true for me to be in a team like this.

"It is a big year ahead and it is a great opportunity, but there is no doubt I will definitely need to prove myself to a lot of people and the team that I deserve my place. I see things very positively and I see it as a great opportunity for my career to fight for the wins and hopefully even for the world championship."

Standing in Bottas's way of winning what many will regard as an unlikely title, is his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton - a triple world champion, winner of 53 races and one of the finest drivers to step foot in a Formula One car.

It will be a tall order for Bottas to match Hamilton, who will be determined to win back his title after defeat to Rosberg last term. But the Finnish driver, put through his paces by Australian ice hockey team the Melbourne Mustangs on Tuesday, does not expect to crack under the pressure.

"I don't fear that I will be the number two at Mercedes," Bottas, whose deal with the world champions runs only until the end of the season, added.

"Mercedes do not have a number one, or a number two driver, so it is up to me to perform. As long as I do my job, which is to perform on the level where the car should be, we are all good and I know I can do it.

"I am very excited about going up against Lewis. He is a three-time world champion and a great reference point. Everybody knows exactly how good he is as a driver.

"It is great to be a team-mate of Lewis and I hope we can have a strong year in this era of Formula One. In testing we managed to work well together and there was a good team spirit. I see no reason why it should not continue like that."