Hamilton: Rosberg and I will handle 2015 better

Newly crowned double F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton says he expects the rivalry with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to be different next season and is sure they will "handle it better".

The Hamilton-Rosberg dynamic was one of the most interesting of the year as the two vied for the 2014 title, with notable flashpoints at Monaco, when Rosberg took that controversial pole position and at Spa, when the two made contact on the second lap while battling for the lead.

Hamilton, however, believes they have both learned from it and if it is another duel between them in 2015 - a repeat of this year's title fight, then things won't be quite so difficult.

"It is normal to have a fierce battle throughout the year and there is always tension," Hamilton said, "but I think between the drivers and the team we managed it better than anyone else could have.

"Nico was right on the edge to the last race, which is what you want from a competitor. In this sport, it is not like football, where you are team-mates with lots of different people. We are team-mates as two drivers and our ultimate goal is to make sure we get those two cars across the line in first and second.

"However, we also both want to be the first one at the head of that. There is that internal competition and the external competition.

"I think there has been a lot of learning done by both Nico and I about how to handle things. I am sure next year we will come back and handle it better."

Quizzed on what made the difference in 2014, Hamilton added that it is tough to pinpoint one factor, although he did feel that he "drove his heart out at every single race".

"Quite often Nico and I would have the same set-up. We have obviously got the same car and through the weekend you might end up starting with one roll bar difference and that mirrors throughout the rest of the weekend. Ultimately, though, our driving styles are quite similar," he explained.

"Years ago, Fernando [Alonso] and I required different things from the car, but Nico and I liked a lot of the same stuff.

"I think really it came down to many different things. It is not just pure pace. I can't really pinpoint all the different things. All I know is that I drove my heart out every race.

"I arrived at a weekend, the studying which I did, the preparation which I did with my guys and the work done from the engineers was just exceptional. I think having that year's experience with them in 2013 made a massive difference for this year.

"I really feel I maximised the time that I had on the track."