Hamilton expecting three-way battle for 2019 title

Lewis Hamilton says he is looking forward to fighting a three-way battle for the 2019 world championship as he looks to take his sixth world championship crown.

While Mercedes dominated the early years of the hybrid formula that began back in 2014, a recent surge by Ferrari has put them into a title fight in the last two seasons.

Although its rivals collapsed in both campaigns, Mercedes' fight for an unprecedented sixth straight championship double appears to be their toughest to date with Red Bull showing enough pace to be in the title fight according to Hamilton.

Speaking after the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton said he was happy that another team was looking competitive ahead of what could be a titanic championship fight between the top contenders.

“It’s great to see the improvement that it’s had for the team,” he explained to 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.”