Rosberg and Hamilton experienced a tense relationship off track during their four seasons together at Mercedes, and also clashed on it, too.

But while some have indicated that Bottas might benefit from taking a similar tough position in a bid to unsettle Hamilton, the Finn believes that it would probably backfire to go down that path. 

He assumes that Hamilton himself will react by simple being driven to drive even faster, in addition to creating needless difficulty for the team and additional effort for him. 

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Bottas states, "I think that the strength we have in the team is definitely that we can work as a team" 

To continue, "We can for sure race hard, but we can also leave it there. And we know the fact that if we can work together, that's how the team is going to benefit in the end. So there's not going to be any hiding of setups or data or anything. And the team spirit in team sports is underestimated. I think it's really important that you keep the motivation up, and [have] no conflicts. Of course, along the way, there's been many people suggest I change to be a Nico Rosberg. But I'm not a Nico Rosberg. I much prefer to do the talking on track and race fair. I have also been able to get to know Lewis, and I know that there's no benefit of trying to play with his mind. I'm sure it would be annoying for him, but it would be wasting my energy. And I think he will be getting even more pissed off and drive faster. So I think the way I'm doing things, that's how I want to win. That is my aim."