Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony believes that Mercedes's new driver Valtteri Bottas could ruin his career by taking on the three-time world champion.
Bottas has taken a seat at Mercedes after Nico Rosberg retired in dramatic fashion just a matter of days after winning his first ever Formula 1 championship title.
The 27-year-old Finnish driver, who has secured nine podium spots but no victories in his career so far, spent the last three seasons competing for Williams.
"Anybody who goes up against Lewis needs to have planned their career correctly because it could be a career-ending move when you go up against Lewis," Anthony Hamilton told Sky Sports News.
"I personally think, while he's getting older and more mature, he's still actually heading towards the prime of his career. So Lewis is going to be a force to be reckoned with this year."
The 2017 campaign will get underway in Melbourne, Australia on March 26.
Danielle Joynson
