Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton is operating at a higher level this season than he has at any point over the last four years.
Hamilton has won two world title since joining Mercedes in 2013, but for the first time has a teammate other than Nico Rosberg in Valtteri Bottas this season. Wolff believes Hamilton has become even more essential to the team's structure this year and says his driver is reaching a new level both on and off the track.
"I've been encouraged by how both of our drivers are approaching this season so far," Wolff said. "Lewis is the best Lewis that I've seen in the last four years, both on and off track. He has become a pillar of this team and he proved that in Melbourne. Valtteri [Bottas] has settled in well and performed at a high level, rising above all the pressure and seamlessly taking over from Nico."
Hamilton finished second to Sebastian Vettel at the opening round of the season in Australia as Mercedes looks set to face a challenge for the title from Ferrari this year. Wolff said his team had identified some of its weaknesses from its defeat at the first race and would be looking to rectify those issues in China this weekend.
"Australia was the first weekend for the new technical regulations, with a new car, new tyres and a new driver. We collected lots more information that will be flowing into all future thinking and will help us make better decisions.
"As a group and as individuals, we are all on a personal development slope in this team. We try to improve every single day. On that particular day in Melbourne, Ferrari were better, so we now have to work out how we can improve again to beat them. The last three years were an outlier in Formula One and you need to be careful to manage your own expectations. If you think you are going to cruise to victory in the future, based on a track record of success, you'll be proven wrong very quickly. You need to put the finger in the wound, identify your weaknesses and then respond.
"We achieved a double podium in the first race of a brand new set of regulations - a strong result by any standard. But that doesn't mean we can be satisfied because there are still many areas where we can be better. We have been focused on these during the past week. It's not a case of looking at the competition for inspiration but of getting our own homework done to maximise our performance."