Lando Norris says "fresh ideas" from Daniel Ricciardo and the Aussie's experience in winning races will help McLaren move forward this season.
Ricciardo moves to McLaren as a seven-time Grand Prix winner with Red Bull Racing and after two seasons with Renault.
The 31-year-old therefore boasts a wealth of experience, a trait that differs Ricciardo from Carlos Sainz, the man he has replaced at the Woking-based outfit.
Norris believes his new teammate's different characteristics will only provide value to McLaren.
"It's going to be very good," Norris told Motorsport.com. "[Ricciardo] is going to give a different perspective on a lot of things.
"I'm sure some comments are going to be similar to Carlos, because Carlos drove the Renault, and probably a lot of characteristics are similar.
"A lot of things Carlos talked about sometimes were when he drove a Renault, things were like this, and the team acted like this and different circumstances.
"A lot of knowledge that drivers have, and something that I learned from Carlos, is knowledge of how he worked with other teams.
"With Daniel, working with Red Bull a bit more and knowing how to win races and how a team wins races and the car he needs for that. I think that's something Carlos doesn't have.
"That'll be very good for when Daniel comes in, giving those fresh ideas and helping the team move forward. I think it's very good."
While Ricciardo's experience and input will benefit McLaren, the Australian driver will also prove a tough rival for Norris.
But the 21-year-old is ready to confront the challenge head on and relishes the opportunity to take on a genuine Grand Prix winner.
"It's nice for me to work with someone different and learn some things," Norris said.
"But also to go up against a driver who has won races and people say is one of the best on the grid, it's a good chance for me to compare myself against him, and just work with him as a race winner."
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…
Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…
Ferrari have survived decades of criticism about strategy calls, driver politics and pit stops that…
While the paddock has been whispering for months that Mercedes might be holding the winning…
Dan Gurney passed away on this day in 2018, and here at F1i we'll never…
What began as a painful reminder of loss has ended with a moment of profound…