Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain talks to journalists during pre-season testing at the Jerez racetrack in southern Spain February 4, 2015. Photo by Marcelo del Pozo, Reuters. <\/p>\n
LONDON - Lewis Hamilton starts the Formula One season as red-hot favorite to become a triple world champion but Niki Lauda, who knows how that feels, fears the battle could be tougher than ever. <\/p>\n
The Briton won 11 races to Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg's five last year, with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo taking the other three, and heads for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 15 with every reason to be confident. <\/p>\n
The 'Silver Arrows' have been ominous in testing, lapping with metronomic efficiency and eye-openingly faster than anyone else once they finally got around to bolting on the quicker soft tyres. <\/p>\n
\"Expectations are enormously high because we won everything that we could win last year,\" triple champion Lauda, now non-executive chairman of the Mercedes works team, told Reuters in an interview. <\/p>\n
\"The logic is that everybody expects and wants to have the same thing (again) but I can tell you it is not that easy. A new season is a new season and everything starts from scratch. <\/p>\n
\"I think Lewis and Nico will fight again like always for the championship but my worry is there will be a third guy also getting involved, no question.\" <\/p>\n
Who that man turns out to be remains an open question, although Finland's Valtteri Bottas may be a shrewd bet after Williams looked closest to Mercedes in testing. <\/p>\n
The ever-smiling Ricciardo, now Red Bull's team leader following the departure of four times champion Sebastian Vettel to Ferrari, looks another solid candidate to take the fight to Mercedes. <\/p>\n
\"At the moment I would say that Williams is the closest, Red Bull and Ferrari I cannot tell you now because they had some signs of speed and then nothing happens again. Red Bull you can never under-estimate,\" said Lauda. <\/p>\n
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Hamilton hot favorite for triple triumph<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain talks to journalists during pre-season testing at the Jerez racetrack in southern Spain February 4, 2015. Photo by Marcelo del Pozo, Reuters. LONDON - Lewis Hamilton starts the Formula One season as red-hot favorite to become a triple world champion but Niki Lauda, who knows how that feels, fears the battle could be tougher than ever Continue reading