Hamilton targets F1 title

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are targeting scooping both the drivers and constructors championships in 2014.

The 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship may have only come to a close a few days ago, but in Formula One, the racing never ends.

The racing may not return to the track until March, but the development race has already begun.

Next season sees potentially the biggest shake up Formula One has seen in decades.

The main regulation change is in regards to engines, whilst restricted aerodynamic regulations continue.

This has meant that the emphasis on engine development has been even greater, as tighter chassis rules for 2014 mean teams will have fewer chances to find an improvement in aerodynamic design.

This could mean a shift in the current hierarchy of the sport.

Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey has already spoken about his belief that the sport could move more into a engine manufacturers championship rather than a team championship, which would put the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari in a much stronger position being full manufacturers.

With Mercedes building on a second place finish in the 2013 F1 constructors championship, Lewis Hamilton is aiming for going one better next season and of course also aiming for his second drivers championship.

‘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,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘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.’

‘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.’

Under current regulations set-up in 2006, cars are powered by 2.4-litre V8 engines, but from 2014 the engines make-up will be altered to brand new 1.6-litre V6 turbos.

There will also be an added emphasis on recoverable energy, with the development into KERS and exhaust heat set to make a further step forward.

With Formula One wanting to show its green credentials, a greater emphasis will also be placed on fuel efficiency with the contribution of recoverable energy increasing by around a factor of 10.

Development costs also remain important in F1, so engines will be even more robust going forward.

Under current regulations, teams are restricted to eight engines per car, per season, with penalties placed on the car if they exceed this limit. From 2014 that limit will be reduced further to five engines per car per season.