Marcus Ericsson says he rates new teammate Pascal Wehrlein highly and is hoping the Mercedes-backed driver's arrival at Sauber helps him up his own game.
After being considered as a potential replacement for Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, Wehrlein was placed at Sauber by the world champions to gain more F1 experience before joining a top team. He comes to Sauber with just one year of experience at Manor, but Ericsson, now entering his fourth season in F1, is wary of his new teammate.
"I honestly rate him highly," Ericsson told Formula One's official website. "He's won the DTM championship and been part of the Mercedes family for a long time, so they seem to believe a lot in him.
"Of course my aim is to beat him -- what else -- and I expect it to be a tough fight. But that's exactly what I need in order to perform at my best."
Sauber finished tenth in last year's championship after Ericsson's teammate Felipe Nasr scored two crucial points in Brazil to move the team ahead of Manor. The extra prize money for finishing a place higher combined with new investment last year puts Sauber in better financial shape this season and Ericsson believes that will result in a better car.
"It definitely takes time, but I think it's clear that if you look at the second half of last season we really made some big progress. And the aim is, of course, to continue that way in 2017.
"We've had some great people decide to join the team in the last couple of months and that also makes a difference. So all in all it feels like we're moving in the right way. And with two young and hungry drivers in the cockpits we should be on a good run."