The end of pre-season testing on Friday saw Lewis Hamilton snapping at Sebastian Vettel's heels, but overall Mercedes is seen as heading to Melbourne in the wake of the Scuderia.
While we await for clarity on where the big guns stand relative to each other, the reigning world champion offered a few words of motivation to himself and to his fans on social media.
"As we approach the final phase of testing, we need to take a deep breath, carefully analyse and strategise our next steps.
"I have the best team to do this but the mind is where we must retain strength.
"In breathing you automatically give your mind clarity. There are all sorts of obstacles ahead, challenges that we will face and adversity but we are a team, a world championship winning team and we will unite in the battle and give everything we’ve got to deliver the best performance of our lives.
"It will not be easy, we are up against the best competition F1 has seen in years. So buckle up because sh@$ is about to get real."
