As the 2016 F1 season begins to draw closer reigning World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, will head to Melbourne later this month starting the season with a “clean state”. Hamilton will approach the season as if he has not won anything in F1 before a mind set that has seen him win back-to-back titles for the past two years. However Hamilton will have to fend off his team mate who wrapped up the remaining three races of 2015 with ease. Hamilton had no answer for Rosberg’s new found speed. The real question is can Rosberg carry over that end of season form into into the next? It was widely speculated that once Hamilton had won the championship he mentally eased back. In a recent interview Hamilton said,  “I’m 44, the same as I was when I first started racing. I was here to beat everyone and that’s how I’m going into the first race.” “When I arrive at the track, I don’t feel like I’m World Champion – that’s why I have number 44 on my car and not number one.” Hamilton is also expecting Rosberg to be a serious title contender “Nico also has grown, so I have to accept he is exceptionally fast and so I also have to lift my bar again.” Explaining his dip in form after winning the championship last year Hamilton said “I did not do the bare minimum, but I did what I needed to do to finish the year after winning the championship. My focus was elsewhere.” It isn’t just Rosberg Hamilton will have to beat this year. During winter testing Ferrari seem to have improved considerably and may well challenge the dominance of the Mercedes team. “Honestly, I think we are going to have a real battle and Ferrari has really picked up its game. That’s my opinion,” Hamilton speculated. “It’s still difficult to know, the car is good, but Ferrari was strong towards the end of last year and I think they have made a significant improvement from last year to this year.” Asked about his recent experience at the Sky City Casino in New Zealand Hamilton declined to comment.