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 The betting odds suggest 2016 will once again be the Briton's year,
with William Hill laying 4/7 on him taking his third title in a row.
Team mate Nico Rosberg is 3/1 and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel 4/1.
Nobody else comes close in the bookmakers' estimation. Vettel's
Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion who turns 37 in
October and could be racing his farewell season, is only 40/1.
However, there are grounds to suggest things may pan out differently
once the racing starts at Melbourne's Albert Park next week.
Rosberg, runner-up for the past two seasons but winner of the last
three races of 2015 from pole position, has a point to prove and
could be on the cusp of something remarkable if he can pick up where
he left off in Abu Dhabi last November.
Vettel, who won four titles in a row with Red Bull before Hamilton
dethroned him in 2014, will want to deny the Briton the satisfaction
of equaling his tally and becoming only the fifth quadruple
champion.
Both Germans have pounded out the laps in pre-season testing in
Barcelona, with Mercedes the most reliable car and Ferrari setting
the more eye-catching times.
While there are plenty in the paddock who suspect Mercedes could be
even more dominant, and maybe embarrassingly quick in Australia,
nobody knows for sure just where they stand in relation to each
other.
SUPER JOB
"We have tried to close the gap," Vettel, who won his four titles
with Red Bull, told the formula1.com website. "It was pretty big in
recent years.
"We did a super job last season that brought us closer and now the
new car gives us the chance to close the gap even more. How much? We
will have to wait at least a couple of weeks," added the
28-year-old.
Mercedes have triumphed in 32 of the last 38 grands prix, and only
two drivers from outside the 'Silver Arrows' have finished on top of
the podium since 2013. Vettel is one of them.
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The German won three grands prix for Ferrari last year, the target
the team had set after a barren 2014, and is now aiming to compete
for the title all the way down to the final race..
"They have been very quick for sure," said Rosberg of Ferrari's
pace. "We know more or less where we are compared to Ferrari, which
is why I say for sure it is close. But we are not sure if we are
ahead or behind."
The best of the rest is likely to be a battle between Williams,
third for the past two years, and Red Bull while former champions
McLaren try to haul themselves back up the pecking order after
slumping to ninth in 2015. [L5N16G3TT]
Renault are back as a full constructor, taking over struggling
Lotus, while Marussia have become Manor and the Haas team are set to
make their debut as the first U.S.-owned outfit for 30 years.
Azerbaijan debuts with a race in Baku in June, and Germany returns
after a year's absence, but the fate of the Italian Grand Prix at
Monza after 2016 remains up in the air pending negotiations.
Three rookies are set to make their race debuts -- Britain's Jolyon
Palmer at Renault, Pascal Wehrlein at Manor and the German's team
mate Rio Haryanto who will become the first Indonesian to start a
grand prix.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)
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