Mercedes chief Toto Wolff insists he is in a "good place" with Lewis Hamilton after holding talks to clear the air with his star driver.
A tense season for the team ended with Nico Rosberg edging Hamilton to the Formula One title in November.
Wolff revealed he held talks with Hamilton at the end of the campaign to address issues from both sides.
"We had a good discussion in my house in Oxford after the end of the season, once the storm had calmed down," he told the BBC.
"It is clear when you work so closely with each other all through the season and you see each other so much there are things which are not discussed.
"You need to sit down and communication is key. We cleared the air with things that were out there on his side and on our side. It was a very good discussion and we left it relieved and in a good place."
Rosberg announced his shock retirement shortly after winning the title, with Valtteri Bottas brought in from Williams to replace him.
While the Finn was somewhat a safe choice, Wolff said the 27-year-old was the best man to replace Rosberg.
"I think you, as a team or as a corporation like Mercedes, you tend to want to streamline everything," he said.
"It doesn't go because you cannot hope for a guard dog in the car and then have a puppy outside of the car. I have no illusion there will be a situation where it's going to be difficult.
"Valtteri has won junior categories and has been very competitive and clearly that doesn't come because he's always easy to deal with.
"I don't expect this to be much of a smooth ride, but Valtteri is the one that fits Nico's shoes the best."
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