Nico Rosberg praises Valtteri Bottas as his successor at Mercedes

German driver Nico Rosberg highlighted today the choice of Valtteri Bottas as his successor at Mercedes team and stated that the Finnish driver is "fast and reliable".

"It's exactly what I expected! That the team can find a perfect replacement in the short term", said the German driver at an event in Geneva, where he debuted his new role as a Mercedes ambassador.

"He is fast and reliable. I'm intrigued to see what he can achieve and how he will perform against Lewis (Hamilton)", added the reigning Formula 1 world champion.

On Monday, Mercedes confirmed the arrival of Bottas to the team, who has always raced for Williams since his debut in the category in 2013. The Finnish driver will join the most powerful team in the championship alongside Hamilton, a three-time world champion.

Rosberg announced his surprising retirement from Formula 1 at the end of last year, just five days after winning his long-awaited first title.