Lewis: I’m hungrier than ever
LEWIS Hamilton wants to win the world title more than ever before, and claims his hunger has doubled this season as he prepares for a battle royal with Sebastian Vettel.
The Mercedes driver is on the back foot after he failed to match Vettel and his resurgent Ferrari in Australia.
It means the threetime world champion is facing a new challenge following Ferrari’s return to form and the exit of his long-running rival Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning last year’s title.
But Hamiton, 32, seems to be revelling in both dynamics – the tensionfree atmosphere at Mercedes after the arrival of Valtteri Bottas, and the task of what he described as the “best versus the best” in regard to his title showdown with Vettel.
“I had a fantastic fight the last few years and obviously last year was the closest I had,” said Hamilton, who lost out on the title to Rosberg despite winning more grands prix than his Mercedes team-mate.
“But I want to win the world championship more than ever before, and while you’d think the hunger could not be any more, it has doubled.
“I’ll get my head down, rest and make sure I come back fighting for the next race in China. My discipline has definitely gone up in terms of my training and how specific I am with my diet, sleep, all these different things.
“Every year you try to improve but I would say I have taken a good step this year. For example, I trained myself this year. That was a challenge I set myself. Can you have the motivation to do it yourself and get yourself ready and turn up?
“I have and I’m going to continue to work because there will be some tough races this year.”