Nico Rosberg recognises that Ferrari will do everything within its powers to challenge Mercedes and is therefore adamant he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton will put their past difficulties behind them to ensure Mercedes is the best it can be in 2016.
Rosberg got to test his new Mercedes W07 during a shakedown at the Silverstone circuit on Friday.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the test, Rosberg expressed his excitement for the year ahead and possibility of going up against Hamilton once again.
"Every year is a big challenge, and every year is a big year," he said. "It's a great opportunity at the moment, and I look forward to it. I look forward to this challenge of going up against Lewis again, who's been driving at an extremely high level.
"It's the sort of battle that I relish, that's what I do sports for, it's what I compete for. So that will be good. And let's see how it goes."
With a renewed threat from Ferrari, which launched its heavily revised SF16-H on the same day as Mercedes' shakedown, Rosberg insisted he and Hamilton would work together to ensure the title fight is between them and only them, but he admitted Ferrari would be a "big threat".
"At the moment of course we're working together because it's in our interests that the car is as good as possible, to make sure that there's no other opposition, and it's just between the two of us.
"For sure they [Ferrari] are going to be a big threat, so we need to keep pushing. Who knows where we are going to be at the first race?"
