Lewis Hamilton says psychologically he's 'in the best place I've ever been' and remains unflustered by his difficult start to 2016 as he targets China as a turning point.

The defending F1 world champion recovered from a first corner clash with Valtteri Bottas in Bahrain to take third place behind race winner Nico Rosberg and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

Rosberg's win was his fifth in a row counting back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix and in that time Hamilton hasn't won since his title-clinching victory in the United States Grand Prix.

The three-time F1 world champion has come under pressure on his concentration on fighting for another F1 crown but says mentally he's feeling the best he has ever been in his career and is keen to demonstrate it in China.

"People keep asking me if I'm worried - if there's a downward trend emerging. But I'm feeling the complete opposite," Hamilton said. "There are no real flaws in our procedure and how we're working, so I know it's going to come good.

"On a personal level too, I'm in the best place I've ever been psychologically. There's very little, if anything at all, that can penetrate that. There's a long, long way to go, so I'll just keep working as hard as I have been."

Hamilton also says he can draw upon trickier circumstances and bigger points deficits he's experienced in his F1 career to navigate his recent dip in form and is confident he can secure his first win of the year at the Shanghai International Circuit which holds happy memories for the 31-year-old.

"Now we go to China for the next battle. It's a track that's been good to me over the years, with five poles and four wins, so hopefully this race can be the turning point," he said.

"It's not been a smooth start to the season for me, so to be in the Championship position I'm in right now is actually pretty positive. If you can have two bad races and still come away with two podiums, that bodes pretty well. I've come back from worse, that's for sure."

Hamilton currently trails team-mate Rosberg by 17 points after the opening two races after the British driver has thrown away pole positions in each race with poor blasts off the line.