Lewis Hamilton credits his crew and his car for winning start to 2014 season

A buoyant Lewis Hamilton has paid tribute to the crew of Mercedes engineers who have laid the foundations for his stunning start to the new season.

And doing so to winning effect with Hamilton's form on track mirrored by his mind-set off the tarmac. "I'm in the happiest mood that I can remember," the Englishman added. "It's where I am in my life, family, girlfriend, all things, where I live, everything, having the right people in place, management, being in the right team." The mirror-image of mood on and off the track begs a chicken-and-egg conundrum; has the happiness of Hamilton's private life made for a successful driver in the public domain or has a successful driver made for a happy Hamilton? The two characterisations are unlikely to be mutually exclusive. But perhaps there's one ingredient above all which has shifted Hamilton's outlook: the possession of a winning car. "My engineers are just fantastic and we're really pulling together. We're not thinking, 'We won the last race, let's chill this weekend', we're working even harder the next time and there's more things we've uncovered setup-wise. I'm constantly learning through the year, physically feeling even better, mentally I feel strong, and I owe that to the team. "Of course when you are winning, it's great. We're not getting complacent, we're just keeping our heads down and trying to improve the car even though the car is amazing. I feel like I am growing with the team and growing with the car, and with my understanding. This year, I am so much more comfortable with the car and that's what you are seeing in the results." With car, team and driver currently working as one, Hamilton's winning package looks to have all boxes ticked.