Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is hoping his Mercedes team will be even more dominant this season even if he also wants rivals to give him more of a challenge.
“I think 2014 was definitely one of the best, if not the best year of my career,” the Briton told laureus.com yesterday.
“Even though we were at the front of the field the majority of the time, the leader of the pack and ahead of others, it was still a challenge within us to try and improve all the time.
“But we want to be better this year, we want to try and dominate even more.”
Mercedes won both titles last year, with Hamilton winning 11 races and German team-mate Nico Rosberg five of the 19.
Hamilton, who was fighting a bug in testing last week, said he felt very relaxed, fit and ready to race.
“I will plan to drive as good as I did last year but I want to be better,” he said.
“I really like to race. Particularly with the challenge of other teams, because there’s always strengths and weaknesses of another driver and another team so I love that.
“That’s what racing’s about, it’s to be racing with everyone,” he added.
“The more people the merrier... if the cars are close you can have real races where you’re overtaking and battling and that’s what I love doing.”
Hamilton, who is negotiating a new contract with Mercedes, is aiming for his third championship this year and reckoned he would have time to challenge for plenty more.
“I think if I’m lucky enough to be able to get to live out my whole Formula One career then – I’ve just turned 30 – I think I’ve got a good seven, eight years left in me,” he said.
Meanwhile, while Germany’s F1 Grand Prix hangs in the balance, hit by dwindling crowds and rising losses, Britain’s Silverstone circuit believes it can make money and attract more fans by charging less.
The ‘Lewis Hamilton effect’ has helped boost British Grand Prix ticket sales, with home fans eager to see their champion in action, but organisers say the decision to cut prices is as significant.
A promotion offering 1,000 Sunday general admission tickets for £99 each was sold out in 22 minutes this week.
So great was the demand that the offer was kept open for a day and 6,000 tickets sold – many then upgraded to grandstand seats that were also reduced in price.
The circuit’s newly appointed managing director Patrick Allen told Reuters yesterday that making the race more accessible was the focus now.
“We were asking families to pay over £1,000 to come for a weekend. I don’t think that’s accessible,” he said.
“I was horrified when I came in that a family from Britain could get on a plane, go to Spa, watch the race and fly back again for less than they can come to our home grand prix.”