F1 World champion Lewis Hamilton blames machine as he plays down chances of a winning start in Melbourne this weekend<br /><br />Lewis Hamilton is talking down his chances of kick-starting his world title defence with a win in Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.<br />
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<p align="center"><span style="font-size: 8pt">Lewis Hamilton </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Hamilton (24), who became the youngest world champion in the history of Formula One with his one-point triumph over Ferrari's Felipe Massa for the 2008 title, believes his McLaren-Mercedes car does not have the same chance as it had in the last two visits to Melbourne. <br /><br />The first Briton to take the F1 title for 12 years, concedes his car is not at its best after pre-season testing.<br /><br />"I've driven for McLaren for two years and in both those seasons the team developed a fantastic car," said Hamilton, who won last year's Australian GP.<br /><br />"This year's car is a little behind the rest in terms of development but I'm absolutely confident we will get stronger and grow as the year progresses," he added.<br /><br />McLaren's team principal Martin Whitmarsh also admitted that the British team's cars won't be competitive from the start of the season. <br /><br />Hamilton and teammate Heikki Kovalainen were significantly off the pace in testing earlier this month. <br />

F1 World champion Lewis Hamilton blames machine as he plays down chances of a winning start in Melbourne this weekend

Hamilton plays down a winning start in Melbourne GP

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Hamilton plays down a winning start in Melbourne GP

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