Hamilton expects a tight battle this year

Lewis Hamilton knows he has a tough season ahead of him if he is to be crowned world champion this year.

Hamilton has been on it from the get-go this weekend and he looks like a man enjoying his de facto No. 1 status at Mercedes following Nico Rosberg’s retirement. The driver who replaced the world champion, Valtteri Bottas, lines up in third.

“Third position was not ideal and I am not happy for the result,” he said. “I didn’t quite get any perfect laps in so I am not that satisfied. What we don’t want is to have another car from another team in between us.”

That team, Ferrari, have carried their strong pre-season form to the first race here they are half- a- second closer to Mercedes than they were at this stage in 2016.

“I would have loved to, but I don’t think pole was up for grabs,” Vettel, the four-time champion, said.

“The car feels good, we have improved, and it has been a big winter for us. The team is getting stronger, people are fired up, and we are motivated.”

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