Lewis Hamilton appreciates fans may get bored of Formula One this season if he and Mercedes are again totally dominant.
Ahead of this weekend’s season-opening grand prix in Australia there is a feeling Mercedes will start the campaign as they finished 2014 – as the superior team.
Last term Mercedes set a new record for number of wins in a year with 16, with current champion Hamilton claiming 11 of those, as well as equalling Red Bull’s 2011 haul of 18 poles in a season.
While there was some relief Mercedes stopped Red Bull’s four-year run of title-winning success, should they again blitz the field in 2015 then the already-declining global television audience figures may dip further.
Assessing the situation, Hamilton said: “A year of dominance is a great thing for a team as a whole, but as a racing driver I’m sure the fans will want to see close competition.”
Asked if it would be bad for the sport should he win the title by August and whether the fans would get bored, Hamilton replied: “Personally, I would get bored, but I can only speak for myself.
“If I was a fan watching and the championship was won by then it wouldn’t look so good, would it?
“But then it’s almost impossible to win it by then, and if you look at most of the recent seasons they’ve gone down to the last race.”
Mercedes, however, were eye-catching during tests as they not only racked up the most laps, but also the quickest, and not even on the best type of rubber available.
“It’s a work in progress, but of course it feels great,” said 30-year-old Hamilton, who starts the season favourite to win a third title.
“You know it’s great to see all the work that’s been put in by the team, and throughout testing it felt really good.
“Testing is not always the greatest when you’re in cooler conditions like in Jerez and Barcelona, but generally it was pretty awesome.”
With the second title to his name and a car beneath him that is again going to be the one to beat, you would expect Hamilton to be relaxed heading into the new season, but far from it.
Hamilton appreciates, as at the start of any campaign, the hard work is only just beginning all over again.
“I definitely don’t feel I have less pressure,” said Hamilton.
“The pressure is the same it is every year, but honestly, I didn’t arrive at the tests or here thinking, ‘Okay, I’m world champion’.
“I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got to do everything again, and I’ve got to actually do it better than I did before’.
“I know everyone else will have taken a step as well, so how do I do that? It’s not easy to better a season like last year.
“In terms of performance it was the best championship I think I’ve ever had, but it doesn’t mean I can’t beat it so that’s what I’m trying to do.”