Stoffel Vandoorne is refusing to compare himself with Lewis Hamilton.
In 2007, then-rookie Hamilton burst onto the scene at McLaren and unsettled the established star and champion Fernando Alonso.
Now, Belgian Vandoorne is the rookie set to take on the famous Spaniard.
"I do not want to be Hamilton," Spanish reports quote 24-year-old Vandoorne as telling La Gazzetta. "I want to be Vandoorne and I'll give my maximum."
Vandoorne comes to the F1 grid with a strong reputation from his junior career, insisting that he does not expect Alonso to give him advice.
"I do not expect anything from the relationship between Fernando and I," he said.
"I didn't exactly get advice from Fernando and [Jenson] Button until now, but I was always close to them at the circuit, watching and trying to learn. But I have my own style."
He also played down any comparison with Max Verstappen, a rookie who arrived in F1 two years ago and caused a sensation.
"Max and I came to F1 on very different paths," said Vandoorne. "I started racing a little late, did not have much money and didn't know what categories to do.
"Max did everything much faster. I lack experience in grands prix, but I'm more than ready."
The 2017 season gets underway in March.
