Hamilton - Toughest yet

Hamilton: Up and running

Every year gets harder and I would say right now is the biggest challenge for myself, and also for the team.

Lewis Hamilton
Quotes of the week

Also see

• F1 forum
• Live coverage
• Bet now with Sky Bet

Lewis Hamilton admits making McLaren become world title contenders again represents the toughest challenge of his career.

Against the odds, the reigning world champion clinched third place in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix in a car he has revealed is the hardest he has ever driven.

From 18th on Melbourne's Albert Park grid, Hamilton was given a helping hand as three accidents during a dramatic season-opener accounted for four of his rivals, whilst Jarno Trulli was handed a 25-second penalty after the race.

But on the other side of the coin, there was Hamilton's undoubted talent as he produced a masterclass to underline just why he became the sport's youngest world champion last year.

Challenge

The fact preparations with the new McLaren had gone so badly gives some idea of just how well Hamilton performed and he predicts more difficult times ahead.

"Every year gets harder and I would say right now is the biggest challenge for myself, and also for the team," said Hamilton.

"We've had some serious challenges over the last two years, and this is another big one for us, if not the biggest.

"But like I've said from the beginning, if anyone can do it, we can.

"I've a huge amount of belief in this team we can turn it round, and this is a good foundation for us to work on."

Expectations

Hamilton is warning his fans not to expect a repeat performance next Sunday in Malaysia.

"Going into the weekend I knew we could have a race where we didn't get any points," added Hamilton.

"Ferrari only got one last year, but they came back and were strong later on, so anything is possible.

"But in going to Malaysia there will be a bigger difference between us and the Brawn cars. We'll be further behind.

"It's going to be even harder for us because the car is incredibly tough to drive, probably the hardest I've ever had to drive.

"Malaysia is more dependent on downforce and aero, so I think there will be a bigger gap, but hopefully by China (a fortnight later), and from then on, we'll be a little closer."