“When I look back, I think: was it the most competitive season?" - Lewis Hamilton opens up on why he couldn't enjoy 2014 F1 title triumph

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has said he didn't enjoy his 2014 world championship as much as he should have after defeating then-teammate Nico Rosberg. The two former childhood friends found themselves fighting tooth-and-nail for top priority in the team as well as for the title.

At the beginning of the turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes had a clear advantage over its rivals and dominated the field with Hamilton and Rosberg taking the majority of the wins. The British driver took the 2014 title after narrowly beating Rosberg, winning the final race in Abu Dhabi.

While appearing on the Performance People Podcast, Hamilton said he didn't enjoy his first two championships for different reasons. He added he would have preferred to be competing against other teams and not just his teammate:

“When I look back, I think: was it the most competitive season? I was competing with my teammate. He was tough to beat, but in general, you would always prefer that you’re competing with several teams. That’s what the sport should be doing.

"I think it was until 2015 that I was really, really able to properly enjoy it. The first one I didn’t enjoy because it was just – I don’t know – it just wasn’t a great time for me. The second [title in 2014] was just like: ‘I made the right decision and I proved everyone wrong. Great, so I can sleep.’"

---

Lewis Hamilton gives his take on winning from pole position

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton stated that he believed that winning from pole position was "boring" as he preferred to compete against other drivers and make his way through the field.

On the Performance Podcast podcast, the seven-time world champion compared the former situation to a "test run," saying (via RacingNews365):

“Oh God, it’s so boring. Honestly, starting from first, leading the race all the way through, it’s really boring compared to fighting from the back and having racing. It’s not racing. You could be on a test.

"You are fighting a time gap behind you. But it’s different when you have a car or cars ahead of you and there’s a track that you can overtake, like Austin or Silverstone, for example."

Hamilton has started 104 races in pole position, winning 61 races from the front of the grid. The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the best wheel-to-wheel racers on the grid and often makes decisive and fair overtakes while making his way through the field.

He is currently P6 in the drivers' championship with 164 points in 16 races and three Sprints thus far in the season and has an advantage of 21 points over Sergio Perez in P7.