Lewis Hamilton appreciates fans may get bored of Formula One this season if he and Mercedes are again totally dominant . Ahead of this weekend 's season-opening grand prix in Australia there is a feeling Mercedes will start the campaign as they finished 2014 - as the superior team . Last term Mercedes set a new record for number of wins in a year with 16 , with current champion Hamilton claiming 11 of those , as well as equalling Red Bull 's 2011 haul of 18 poles in a season . Lewis Hamilton poses on St Kilda beach on Thursday ahead of the season opener in Melbourne . The reigning world champion stands with a fan as she takes a selfie ahead of this week 's Australian GP . Hamilton was speaking at the first pre-race press conference of the season in Melbourne on Thursday . While there was some relief Mercedes stopped Red Bull 's four-year run of title-winning success , should they again blitz the field in 2015 then the already-declining global television audience figures may dip further . Assessing the situation , Hamilton said : ' A year of dominance is a great thing for a team as a whole , but as a racing driver I 'm sure the fans will want to see close competition . ' Asked if it would be bad for the sport should he win the title by August and whether the fans would get bored , Hamilton replied : 'Personally , I would get bored , but I can only speak for myself . Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg pose in front of the world 's media ahead of the first race . Last term Mercedes set a new record for number of wins in a year with 16 , with Hamilton claiming 11 . Hamilton speaks to the media next to St Kilda beach in Melbourne on Wednesday . 'If I was a fan watching and the championship was won by then it would n't look so good , would it ? 'But then it 's almost impossible to win it by then , and if you look at most of the recent seasons they 've gone down to the last race . ' Mercedes , however , were eye-catching over the three pre-season tests as they not only racked up the most laps , but also the quickest , and not even on the best type of rubber available . 'It 's a work in progress , but of course it feels great , ' said 30-year-old Hamilton , who starts the season favourite to win a third title . 'You know it 's great to see all the work that 's been put in by the team , and throughout testing it felt really good . Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Hamilton will go head-to-head again for the title . 'Testing is not always the greatest when you 're in cooler conditions like in Jerez and Barcelona , but generally it was pretty awesome . ' With the second title to his name and a car beneath him that is again going to be the one to beat , you would expect Hamilton to be relaxed heading into the new season , but far from it . Hamilton appreciates , as at the start of the any campaign , the hard work is only just beginning all over again . ' I definitely do n't feel I have less pressure , ' said Hamilton . Rosberg won the opening race in Australia last season after Hamilton suffered an engine problem . 'The pressure is the same it is every year , but honestly , I did n't arrive at the tests or here thinking , 'Okay , I 'm world champion ' . ' I 'm thinking , 'Jesus , I 've got to do everything again , and I 've got to actually do it better than I did before ' . ' I know everyone else will have taken a step as well , so how do I do that ? It 's not easy to better a season like last year . 'In terms of performance it was the best year I think I 've ever had , but it does n't mean I ca n't beat it so that 's what I 'm trying to do . '
Lewis Hamilton starts the season favourite to win a third title . Mercedes were eye-catching over the three pre-season tests . But they have struggled in qualifying and are still struggling with reliability issues. READ : Hamilton is only the fourth most marketable F1 driver . CLICK HERE for all the Australian Grand Prix build up and latest news .