Lewis Hamilton dumped it all over Nico Rosberg again, saying his working environment was now a much better place without the presence of the reigning world champion.

Hamilton and Rosberg spearheaded Mercedes' outstanding success between 2014 and 2016, but the relationship between the two men gradually fell apart on the back of their fierce rivalry.

Speaking to The Sun's Ben Hunt, Hamilton says his task this year has not been facilitated by Rosberg's retirement from racing, but it has transformed the atmosphere within the Silver Arrows team.

"It has not made things easier for me but it has made the environment a better place to work in," he said.

"When you remove a negative and then replace it with a positive — it is like having a circuit-board and you have a bad fuse, that’s the whole frikkin unit gone.

"When you replace that fuse, the whole thing works again. I am still pushing myself to new limits. He could be here and I’d still be driving like this and he knows it.

"It’s like when you have been in an unhealthy relationship. You only stay in it because you love that person.

"It is not until that relationship ends and you get further down the line you realise, ‘S***, that relationship was not good for me’.

"We are now positive as a team. The hurricane that was built within this team is now blowing towards Ferrari."

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