Hamilton: Having Honda back near the top is 'awesome' for F1

Lewis Hamilton has said that having Honda back near the top of Formula 1 is 'awesome' for the sport. Having three teams at the top all competing for the championship is very exciting and things should only get more competitive as the season progresses. In Australia, Max Verstappen's Red Bull finished third ahead of both Ferraris and he was closing down on Hamilton at the end of the race. 

Red Bull moved away from the Renault engine for this season and have chosen to use Honda. This partnership seems to have started really well and Hamilton thinks that it is positive for Formula 1. 

"It's great to see the improvement that it's had for the team," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. 

"They were with Renault for such a long time and he [Verstappen] was able to pass the Ferrari. It's awesome.

"The Red Bulls are there with us and I think we're going to have a really great battle through the year between the three of us."

"I remember growing up watching Ayrton [Senna] drive the Honda [at McLaren] and they were a formidable force back then and it's great to see them back up there."

"I hope that their reliability maintains so we can keep a close battle through the year."

Hamilton will hope that the battle is not too close as he needs to focus on trying to beat his team-mate Valtteri Bottas. It is set to be a nailbiting season with all three top teams looking competitive.