Lewis Hamilton hails Mercedes F1 team's 'incredible determination'

Hamilton was speaking during an interview at his first official Mercedes engagement on Monday, when he toured the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart.

"To be back and to know I'm part of the Mercedes world is a real privilege. I'm so grateful to be welcomed into the team and really excited," said the former McLaren driver.

"I've been to Brackley in the early part of December, asking lots of questions, trying to get as involved as I can in the limited time that I was there.

"It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone was. It looked like there was incredible determination to turn this around. That gave me a lot of motivation for my winter."

The 2008 world champion had previously said that he was not expecting to win races in his first Mercedes season.

But Hamilton insists he would not rule out Mercedes being able to cause a few upsets. The team took its first Formula 1 victory in China last year, but struggled to score in the latter part of the 2012 campaign.

"I think this year's going to be an interesting year, an interesting journey," said Hamilton. "But I think it's going to be a journey that we enjoy.

"I live to win. That's what I work towards every year so that's what we're going to work towards this year.

"Of course it's going to be tough to compete with the guys who are already at the front - the Red Bulls, the McLarens, the Ferraris - but I don't think it's impossible."