Lewis Hamilton claims he is going into the 2018 Formula 1 season “stronger” than last year, as he targets a fifth world title and fourth in five years.
The Briton had a low-key testing, opting not to run as much as Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, yet showed his class by consistently being fast as he got to grips with the new Silver Arrow in Barcelona.
Earlier this week, Hamilton was at the team’s base in Brackley as final preparations took place before making the trip to Melbourne for the season-opener and he admits there is just one thing on his mind.
“I will give it everything this season, title number five is the ultimate goal,” the 33-year-old said. “Let’s go for it!”
Though some are unsure as to Ferrari’s true pace after testing, Sebastian Vettel is expected to be the main challenger once again as he too seeks to move within two of Michael Schumacher’s record of seven F1 titles.
Considering how he will approach the year ahead, Hamilton said on Sky Sports: “Nothing’s going to be different, we’re going to be going hard at it as we did last year.
“I cannot tell you what’s going to happen in terms of how strong the fight’s going to be, all I can tell you is I’m ready for whatever he [Vettel] has to throw at me. I’m stronger now than I was last year so that’s a good feeling.”
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As for the immediate start of the season in Australia though, Lewis’ attention is on another team looking to knock him off his perch.
“I think Red Bull is the fastest at the moment, potentially,” he claimed. “They have some sort of upgrade coming, of some magnitude, two-to-four tenths or something like that – that’s what I heard.”
