Hamilton hopes to have more challengers

Lewis Hamilton hopes to have several challengers, rather than just his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, when he defends his Formula One title this season. Last year’s battle was intense, with Hamilton and Rosberg feuding as their title scrap went down to the final race in Abu Dhabi. But everyone else was lagging way behind and Mercedes was mostly unchallenged, winning 16 out of 19 races and finishing nearly 300 points clear in the constructors’ championship. Matching that, let along surpassing it, is a very tall order and Hamilton expects the competition to be sterner when the new season starts on March 15 in Melbourne. The 30-year-old British driver says “the more people I get to race (against) the merrier. Bring it on.” – Associated Press