Top teams ‘equal’ for 2008 battle – Hamilton
Before jetting off to Australia to acclimatize to the time difference, the McLaren driver insisted that the British team's new single seater, the MP4-23, is a match for the Maranello built F2008.
"Last year Ferrari were ahead by maybe three or four tenths of a second," he told journalists while training at the McLaren factory in Surrey on Monday.
"They have a very good car again but now we are in equal cars," Hamilton, 23, added.
Hamilton points out that, when the Big Two teams met at the same test circuits towards the end of the recent pre-season, Ferrari's earlier advantage seemed to have been closed down by McLaren.
"I thought it was strange that they were not at some of the tests with the other teams and I think Barcelona is a very accurate measure," said the Briton, referring to Ferrari and the final group test in Spain last month.
"It will be a lot closer than last time," he added, also rejecting widespread claims that, with his meteoric rookie season now over, he will be under more pressure in 2008.
Hamilton said: "Perhaps there is more pressure, but I feel there is less. Last year I had so much to prove. There was the press asking, 'can he do it or not?'"
"I'm sure even people in the team were wondering. I was quick in testing but racing is a different thing. People wait for you to fail.
"I think this year is slightly easier. People know how well I can drive. I'm not going into an unknown world."