Mercedes' "hunger is what will take us there" declares Lewis
A bullish Lewis Hamilton has already set out his and Mercedes' stall ahead of the 2014 Formula 1 season: to win both World Championship titles.
Hamilton's first season at the team he joined from McLaren in January may only have just finished but the 2008 title winner has declared that Mercedes need to use the second place in the Constructors' Championship they clinched at Interlagos on Sunday as the springboard to go one better in 2014.
Having previously not finished higher than fourth in the standings since buying the double title-winning Brawn GP out in late 2009, Mercedes's triple race-winning W04 car represented a big step forward over its predecessor and the team have long targeted 2014's engine regulation overhaul as their best chance to make a breakthrough in the battle to dethrone Red Bull.
And during a visit to the team's Brackley headquarters on Tuesday, Hamilton made clear Mercedes were now eyeing an all-out championship assault.
"We've just finished second in the Constructors' Championship so of course we don't want to finish there next year, we want to make the next step," the 28-year-old told Sky Sports News.
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"So for everyone and for me the target is to win the World Championship, both championships. Of course if we don't do it naturally there'll be some disappointment but we're not even going to put that negative energy out there."
Aside from winning both World Championships four years ago when under the Brawn banner, the Brackley outfit are not accustomed to challenging for titles.
Hamilton, however, believes it's the collective desire to succeed at Mercedes which can make the difference.
"I don't think there's a particular World Champion mentality," he said.
"Everyone has a different approach but I feel that everyone here is just hungry. They've not have the success that perhaps they've deserved and they've not had the success of teams like Ferrari and McLaren and Red Bull.
"But they're hungry to have that and that hunger is what will take us there."
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