• Mercedes news

Mercedes can turn it around - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton believes it is possible for Mercedes to turn itself into a serious challenger this year after visiting his new team's bases in Brackley and Stuttgart.

Hamilton has joined Mercedes from McLaren this year but is coming to a team that struggled for points towards the end of last season. However, he is not ruling out fighting with the top teams in the sport this year and said he was buoyed by his recent visit to the F1 factory in Brackley.

"I live to win," he said in a Mercedes video. "That's what I work towards every year so that's what we're going to work towards this year. Of course it's going to be tough to beat the guys who are already at the front - the Red Bulls, the McLarens, the Ferraris - but I don't think it's impossible."

He added: "I went to Brackley back in the early part of December, asking lots of questions, trying to get as much involved as I can in the limited time I was there. It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone was. It looked like there was incredible determination to turn this thing around and that gave me a lot of motivation for my winter."

But Hamilton is aware that he faces a steep learning curve over the next two months as he gets to know his team before the start of the season.

"I think this year's going to be an interesting year, an interesting journey," he said. "Learning and getting to know new people is always a massive challenge and that's first and foremost one of the biggest challenges I have. After that it's trying to succeed with them and extract the most out of them. But I think it's going to be a journey that we enjoy."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.