Hamilton aims to soak up Alonso's secrets

The 22-year-old Briton, who makes his Formula One debut as the world champion's teammate in Australia in March, attended the launch of McLaren's new car in Spain on Monday after an intensive fitness camp in Finland.

Throwing the javelin was one of several team-bonding activities.

"We all had to do it," the Briton told reporters. "We did lots of different things, a lot of things we had to do as a team, to really work together."

Alonso did not attend but Hamilton expects to work well with the 25-year-old double champion who has just arrived from Renault.

"I want to do a solid job with the team and to learn as much as possible from Fernando," said the Briton, a long-term McLaren protege and winner of last year's GP2 support series at the first attempt.

"I think he's going to bring a huge amount to the team. I'm such a strong competitor, whatever I do I want to be up against the best and to beat the best.

"And I am sitting next to the best driver, so I am able to compare myself to him, to learn from everything that he does and eventually try to beat him.

"I'm just very realistic," he continued, when asked if he automatically assumed Alonso would be quicker.

"He is a two-time world champion, he knows all of the tracks and what a Formula One car is like. He knows the ins and outs of it because he has been there for a few years, whereas I am still learning and have a lot to learn.

"It's better to sit back and say okay, he's going to be number one - he's my benchmark, that's where I have to work to and I have to close that gap.

"Who knows, we might get to the first race and it might be a lot closer than people expect."

Britain's last world champion Damon Hill, a winner with Williams in 1996, said recently that Hamilton would have only a few months' grace and needed to show quickly that he could match up to Alonso.

Hamilton agreed that was a fair assessment.

"Of course, if you go in and you don't do well for the first six months then what are you doing there?" he said. "I expect by that time that I will have learned a lot from the races that I will have done.

"But yes, I need to be quick and I need to be on the pace. You can't be in a top team and not produce the goods. But that's what I've been doing for the last 10 years so it doesn't feel any different to me."

Hamilton said the thought of lining up on the starting grid in Melbourne on March 18 was already giving him goosebumps.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about it," he said.

"I'm just on a unique roller-coaster ride right now and loving every minute of it. I can't wait until the first race. I really can't wait."