Lewis Hamilton has said that he would welcome
Fernando Alonso as a rival for this year's world title, because he is more determined than ever to beat the Spaniard.
Far from trying to rekindle the feud that dominated their one-year partnership at
McLaren, however, the Briton says that he is happy to take on all-comers this season, because it would make title success more worthy.
Hamilton has said that he does not regard anyone as a threat this season but, again, his words could be turned against him. Instead, the second-year pilot prefers to regard the rest of the field as rivals, feeling confident that he now has the experience to fight anyone for the championship.
“With the experience of last year, I do feel stronger than I did," he told Britain's
Daily Star newspaper, “As a driver, I feel I developed so much in one season that I know I'll be a lot stronger this year than I was last year.
"I feel my relationship with the team is better than ever because, in any situation, when you go through an experience with a group of people, it pulls your strings and build tension. But, in the end, the relationship does grow and, as they have known me for many years, they know I would do anything for the team. With fewer political problems, maybe I will enjoy the coming season a lot more.”
With Alonso returning to
Renault, most have ruled the Spaniard out of the title fight. The
regie's R28 has so far under-performed in comparison with the pace-setting Ferraris and McLarens, and Alonso himself reckons that he only has a 20-30 per cent chance of championship success, even if he hopes to be a spoiler in terms of race wins by mid-season.
Hamilton, however, hopes that he can renew his battle with the double world champion, on-track at least.
“I hope what happened last year makes him more determined – I know it makes me more determined to beat him," he continued, "It's not just him, but all the drivers because, at the end of the season, Kimi [Raikkonen] beat me for the title. That makes me more determined to beat
him this year – and I know where his strengths are now.”
