Hamilton: It's going to be tight

Speaking ahead of his 209th grand prix start at this weekend's season opener in Melbourne, Hamilton told reporters, "Every year we have to take it to another level because, if you look at last year, for example, Red Bull was a second or so behind at the first race and at the last race they were right there with us. Their rate of development was a little bit steeper than everyone else's."

"I think at this point in the year, everyone is trying to hype someone up and we are the perfect target because we are the world champions. It's almost like put all the pressure on them because it takes the weight off of us."

"But ultimately I think the pressure is divided among all of us. Red Bull seem to have done a great job on their car, it's got a lot more furniture on it, should be a lot quicker this weekend and they've got two great drivers."

"Then you have Ferrari who were there in the real fight last year, it was no walkover that's for sure, and this year we expect them to be on it too."

Although many F1 insiders believe that Mercedes have still got the edge, Hamilton is not so sure, "I think everyone did different things in testing. If you look at the Red Bulls, they never used their best race mode, for example."

"I'm not sure if that is the case for Ferrari, but that's certainly the case for a couple of people. From what I understand, I think Red Bull and Ferrari are very close. Potentially we are either level, just behind or maybe just ahead of the Red Bulls as far as I'm aware. But this weekend they might bring a new upgrade, so it's going to be tight."

As for how he will tackle the start of forthcoming weekend, Hamilton said, "I'm just trying to make sure that I am in the best position to understand the car and my tools because as soon as I get out on track, the steps you take in terms of moving the car forwards and improving the envelope you are working with it is crucial that every step is the right step."