Hamilton surprised: 'Why should I doubt it?'

Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to the start of the new season. The British driver is confident that Mercedes will once again be competitive to win the world championship, writes Formula One journalist Andreas Haupt, working for Auto, Motor und Sport, on his Twitter account.

The seven-time world champion was the big favourite for the world title last season but had to give it up to Max Verstappen. This season it is difficult to estimate Mercedes' chances. Because of the new regulations, the teams have to assemble their cars differently and it is difficult to estimate how the proportions will be.

It does not cause Hamilton any doubts at all, as he believes his team has shown enough in the past where its strengths lie. "Why should I doubt that we didn't manage to build a good car?," Hamilton says. "We've won the constructors eight times in a row. My team doesn't make mistakes."

Hamilton has Russell sitting next to him

Hamilton has another teammate sitting next to him this season with George Russell. In recent years he has worked with Valtteri Bottas, but the Finn has not been able to get into serious competition with Hamilton. This season Bottas will drive for Alfa Romeo.