Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are ready to start the F1 season, as the two Mercedes drivers are preparing for the Australian Grand Prix later this month. Hamilton and Rosberg are two of the most notable stars in the sport, and their rivalry took over headlines last season.
It has been a long layoff since last year, with Hamilton looking to bounce back after a strong finish by Rosberg. Last season, Rosberg ended the year with three straight wins and six pole positions, although Hamilton did get a victory at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin. Hamilton won the world title in 2014, and he will be looking to get to that level again this season.
Rosberg and Hamilton have both won previously at Melbourne's Albert Park in Australia, with Hamilton winning there last year and Rosberg in 2014. The Mercedes team is preparing to make waves in the race, but it was the Ferrari team that had the best times in preseason testing this year. While Mercedes had the greatest distance covered in testing, Ferrari ended up with the fastest lap overall after Kimi Raikkonen put up a time of one minute, 22.765 seconds.
"Honestly, I think we are going to have a real battle and Ferrari has really picked up its game. That's my opinion. It's still difficult to know, the car is good, but Ferrari was strong towards the end of last year and I think they have made a significant improvement from last year to this year," Hamilton said.
Hamilton is looking to win his fourth career world title this season after winning back-to-back titles over Rosberg in the last two seasons. He also won in 2008. Last season, Hamilton finished with 11 overall poles and 10 wins on the circuit. While the two are teammates, the rivalry has gotten heated at times. The two went back and forth ahead of the race at Melbourne, and they banged wheels during the race in Austin last year that Hamilton won.
The two stars became teammates back in 2013, and since that time, it has been Hamilton who has won over Rosberg in the overall standings. However, Rosberg said that this season could be different, since they will be using a new W07 Hybrid car. Rosberg added that the rivalry with Hamilton over the years has only pushed him to work harder.
"It's a big step, the new car," Rosberg said. "The tires are slightly different as well, everything, so we all start from zero."