Hamilton: 'Ferrari trying to keep a lid on the hype!'

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Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari are the clear favourites for this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but are deliberately keeping a low profile.

The Scuderia emerged from pre-season testing with a performance which impressed the Mercedes driver. An astute observer of Sebastian Vettel's comments and body language, Hamilton isn't buying the toned down attitude of his rival.

"I see Ferrari are being the quickest at the moment," said Hamilton in Melbourne.

"I think they will definitely be the favourites. But of course we’ll find out more going into the weekend."

"It’s interesting to see, Sebastian’s usually a lot more hype and I can tell he’s trying to keep a lid on it. But their pace was obviously great in testing."

No room for disappointment at Ferrari, says Hakkinen

But Hamilton wasn't discarding Red Bull Racing however, believing the Milton Keynes team will step up its performance compared to what it showed in Barcelona.

"I’m very keen to see what Red Bull bring because they were quite far behind through testing, at least compared to Ferrari.

"Didn’t see them bringing many upgrades, or any upgrades, as far as I could see. I’m assuming they’re bringing something here, I’m excited to see what they do bring."

Hamilton also said he was keen for Mercedes to have a good fight on its hands, because "that's what racing is about", said the three-time world champion.

"As far as I’m aware no team has won back-to-back through rules changes,” he added.

"So that is our goal as a team. We’re here to win, we’re here to do something no one else has done.

"I feel whether or not we’re in the right place at this moment in the season we’ll find out but I have every belief in my team that we can do that."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.