Lewis Hamilton has responded to criticism from former teammate Nico Rosberg by claiming that the retired former world champion simply wanted to grab the headlines. 

Rosberg retired at the end of 2016 after clinching the title in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, resigning fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton to second spot in the standings following a feisty year of various spats between the pair. 

And the German renewed their rivalry somewhat last week when he said Hamilton's "inconsistencies" were his biggest weakness and something his rivals will need to expose. 

It is a well-documented fact that the pair did not enjoy the best of relationships during their time together at Mercedes as they constantly tussled for top spot on the driver's championship. 

Just three days before the start of the 2018 campaign in Australia Hamilton hit back at his old teammate.

“I think I’ve proved that that’s not the case last year. I think there’s a lot of people who need to get headlines and that’s one way of doing it," Hamilton said, per Reuters.

“The goal this year is to be even more consistent than last year. I think consistency is the main reason I won the world championship last year.”

Hamilton's closest challenger in 2017 was Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, whose challenge eventually faded during the second half of the season, providing a clear path for the 33-year-old to secure his fourth championship. 

Heading into the new season, the Brit is yet again the favorite to win the title and will be looking to match Juan Manuel Fangio's record of five F1 titles, sitting second to the legendary Michael Schumacher, who has a staggering seven championships to his name. 

Despite being a veteran in the sport, Hamilton remains optimistic about the future, stating that he still believes that he is operating at an optimal level. 

“I’m sure there is a peak for a driver when their fitness level gets harder to reach the fitness level that we do today,” he added.

“When your interest starts to decline and your drive starts to decline, I guess that’s when you’re over your peak but I definitely feel I’m not at that (stage).

“I’m definitely in a good range right now and that’s where I need to continue to try to extract the most I can.”