Starts could decide title battle, say Mercedes duo

The two drivers are locked in an exclusive fight for the drivers' championship and are separated by just two points in the standings ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

But with recent races having been decided by poor getaways from both of them, they are mindful that Mercedes' ongoing inconsistent getaways could prove critical.

When asked if he liked the randomness caused by new start rules this year, Hamilton said: “Not really, because if you gauge my season then the championship could be lost through starts.

“[Just look at] the number of pole positions I've had and lost the race at the start. You do all the work during the weekend and two seconds have determined some of the races.”

Rosberg denied that Hamilton's recent bad start at Monza had given him a mental edge over his rival.

“No, I don't [think so], sorry,” he said. “But of course I am aware of the fact that starts are an ongoing challenge and it will not become easier for us now. So definitely it needs attention on my part.

“But I have had some good starts lately, and am feeling good about it. But I lost the Hockenheim and the Hungarian GP through not optimal starts, so it is a good challenge.”

Singapore challenge

While the start issues remain a focus for Mercedes, of a bigger priority is its overall form at Singapore as Mercedes returns to the venue of its most difficult weekend last year.

The team has worked hard to get to the bottom of what went wrong in 2015, but is taking nothing for granted that it can continue its dominance.

Hamilton said: “I wouldn't say I come here with a confidence or not. I don't know how this weekend is going to go.

“Last year when we arrived we thought we were fine and we were a second off. This year we have the knowledge of last year, where we went wrong and can better prepare ourselves.

“I don't think we will be a second off, we may be ahead, we may be level, we may be behind. We will find out and what will be will be.”

Rosberg added: “There were reasons why we were off the pace. We understand some of them, we made some major changes and everything, so we hope to be looking a lot better. But is it enough to turn around a one second deficit per lap that we had last year? It is not an easy one.”