Hamilton - is this his toughest F1 title defence yet?

Hamilton has more than one challenger...

Nobody expected the 2009 season to be quite as much of a struggle as it turned out for Hamilton and McLaren, with the regulation change that year leaving the British team and Ferrari languishing after an end-of-season championship battle in 2008.

And whilst Rosberg bettered Hamilton in a captivating battle that went down to the wire in 2016, he was still only going to be the lone challenger to the British driver's crown.

If Red Bull is at least level with Mercedes this year, Hamilton will have to hold off the challenge of not only his own team-mate Valtteri Bottas, as well as Verstappen, but it would be foolish to discount the Dutchman's new team-mate Sergio Perez, who impressed in the Bahrain test.

As obvious as it may seem, this will mean Hamilton cannot afford a slip up this year across the record-breaking 23-race calendar.

Often in the past, finishing sixth - for argument's sake - meant Hamilton would only have lost ground to his team-mate, with such a swing negated at a later race.

With two extra challengers, the probability of regaining lost points is reduced, and no doubt the two Red Bulls will be as edgy as ever tactically.

Mercedes and Hamilton have to be fully engaged to stave off Red Bull's threat.

Unknowns aplenty

With the aerodynamic changes already covered, there is also the small matter of brand new Pirelli tyres for this year, which are heavier and more robust following a spate of failures last season.

Whilst the new compound will alter the overall balance of the cars, the operating window of each compound will have shifted from last season to this, providing a relative unknown when the cars are raced in anger on the first weekend.

F1 will also almost certainly run three sprint races this season, which could add drama to the championship, especially at the Brazilian Grand Prix towards the end of the year.

And, of course, there is the lingering Covid-19 pandemic that may yet cause further issues this season, whether it be personnel self-isolating or races being cancelled.

Much like last season, there are no guarantees the calendar that has been devised will be fulfilled so every point will count.

It all means Mercedes is on the back foot to start the year and Hamilton faces a real challenge to create history.

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