Lewis Hamilton eyes glory on a ‘more level’ playing field

Lewis Hamilton believes his chances of ending Sebastian Vettel’s grip on the world championship will be greatly improved when Formula 1’s new rules come into force next season.

Some of the most significant changes will involve the engines, with cars having to switch from their current 2.4-liter engines to a 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 engine.

There will also be adjustments to both aerodynamics and energy systems, and Hamilton is relishing the potential consequences.

“I’m really excited about next year,” the 2008 world champion told CNN World Sport.

“We have new rules, new engines and the cars are going to be a lot different. We’re hoping it will make the playing field more level and that it gives us the chance to race.

“I just want to race and have a chance to fight for the championship.”

In his first season with Mercedes, Hamilton lies fourth in the drivers’ standings, trailing recently-crowned champion Vettel by 172 points with just two races of the season left.

Read: Why world champion dislikes the word ‘dominance’

Yet the Briton has the chance to help his team finish second in the constructors’ world championship, even if Mercedes still have plenty to do in both Austin and Interlagos with Ferrari and Lotus hot on their heels.

The 334-point tally of Hamilton and teammate Nico Rosberg is just 11 more than Ferrari, while Lotus are also a threat with 297 points.

Wherever Mercedes do finish, Hamilton will consider it a major improvement on last year when the team finished fifth in the constructors’ standings, trailing fourth-placed Lotus by a wide margin.

“I really want to help this team finish second in the constructors’ championship,” explained a driver who left McLaren to sign a three-year deal with Mercedes in September 2012.

“We’ve had some tough races this season but we are growing race by race. We have achieved something just incredible this year, to go from where the team wasn’t really so successful last year to becoming the ones that are competing with Ferrari and Red Bull.

“What motivates me is the chance to be world champion again in future – and I know I have to put the work in now for what will hopefully be future success.”

So will the Mercedes mechanics who face an anxious start to the season, as all the teams will, given the potential for early reliability problems because of the new rules.

Read: Will changes end Vettel reign?

In addition to the introduction of a new powertrain, further changes include narrower front wings, a reduction in nose height and the prohibiting of exhaust blowing.

Nonetheless, a belief exists within Hamilton that an initial year of learning can help both team and driver next season, so giving him a platform to build on his solitary win – in Hungary – in 2013.

“There’s every chance that Red Bull will have just as competitive a car next year as this, but what I’m really confident in is the guys who are building my car,” the 28-year-old rallied.

“They have done such a great job with this year’s car, and I just feel like we’ve really built a foundation this year which we can use next year to put ourselves in a position to fight with them.

“Going into my second year, hopefully I’ll really have my thumbprint on the new car so it’ll be a little more comfortable for me to drive.”