Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is confident he has the desire to overcome Rosberg.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton believes his humble upbringing gives him the motivational edge over teammate Nico Rosberg in pursuit of the 2014 world drivers' championship.

Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, leads Rosberg by three points in the drivers' standings after four successive race wins, the most recent of which coming at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mercedes duo are expected to be front-runners for the title after a storming start to the campaign but ahead of the showpiece race of the year in Monaco, Hamilton insists he has the stomach for the fight in 2014.

"I come from a not-great place in Stevenage and lived on a couch in my dad's apartment - and Nico grew up in Monaco with jets and hotels and boats and all these kind of things - so the hunger is different," Hamilton told the Formula 1 official website.

"I want to be the hungriest guy in the cockpit from all 22 of us - even if every driver has to believe that he's the hungriest - because if I were to come here believing that Nico is hungrier than me then I might as well go home.

"So I've got to be the hungriest - to win the world championship you need to be the hungriest."

The 29 year old added: "It is all about grabbing the opportunity when you have it. I would have never dreamed of having a car as good as I have now - so I will use it to my best advantage.

"But I have a team mate who is pushing me to the limit. Fortunately for the moment that's not so bad - because I am not so bad on the limit.

"When you're so competitive it is impossible to be best friends - but then it stays respectful. We will always have the years in karting, that kind of foundation of a long time ago."

The British driver went on to admit he hopes Rosberg finished outside the podium place in the principality in order to enhance his title hopes.

The pair – who were rivals during their karting days prior to stepping up to Formula 1 - have enjoyed a thrilling rivalry so far this season, with their wheel-to-wheel exchange in Bahrain a highlight of an already fascinating year.