Lewis Hamilton believes his much-discussed off-season switch to Mercedes will allow him to become a better Formula One driver.
Briton Hamilton says Mercedes allows him to focus more on his driving than his previous team McLaren, with whom he won the 2008 world drivers’ championship.
The 28-year-old has left behind his long-time team, and his often testy relationship with former teammate Jenson Button, for an outfit which struggled last year.
It means both Hamilton and Mercedes go into 2013 as the F1 grid’s X-factor.
But he believes Mercedes’ different approach to its drivers is good news for him going into the weekend’s F1 season opener in Melbourne.
“We still have sponsors, we still have sponsors’ appearances, we still have filming days, so there’s no huge difference in how they go about their business,” Hamilton told autosport.com.
“But I think the focus on the driver, the driver’s performance, and the driver being ready for the job at hand is one thing that I’m noticing is quite a little bit better here.
“They want me to be as ready as I can be physically and mentally, and want to do everything possible to make sure that everything is taken care of.
“I really couldn’t be happier with them.”
Former McLaren F1 star David Coulthard believes Mercedes can be the making of Hamilton.
“That team has wins in its DNA and won the championship in its Brawn guise with Jenson Button,” Coulthard told crash.net.
“He had been with McLaren for 13 years – starting as a young driver through to winning his championship there.
“It will be the making of him as a man and a racer because you do need different experiences and environments to really develop as an individual.
“He can re-set everything going to Mercedes because he is not Lewis the teenager – happy to be there and desperate to be a F1 driver.
“He is an existing world champion and goes there as such.”