Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is "out of jokers" following his underwhelming start to the 2016 Formula One season.

The 31-year-old finished behind teammate Nico Rosberg in Australia and Bahrain to open the campaign before suffering further problems in China.

He was forced to start at the back of the grid after facing a five-place penalty for gearbox issues, while his issues worsened due to a defect in the MGU-H element of his energy recovery system during qualifying.

However, Hamilton manoeuvred his way through the pack to achieve a respectable finish and collect six points to add to his total. He battled further adversity in Russia when his car suffered a reoccurrence of the Shanghai problem, leaving him out of the fight for pole which was clinched by Rosberg.

Hamilton battled back from 10th on the grid to finish second, although the German's victory in Sochi increased his lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship.

Does Hamilton have the desire to chase down the Rosberg?

Hamilton has become the face of the sport and it would be hard to blame him for becoming distracted from his game after notching two titles on the spin. He has signed sponsorship contracts with Bombardier and watchmaker IWC along with his lucrative deal with Mercedes, which makes him one of the richest sportsmen in the world.

The Englishman has little to prove, with his legacy in the sport cemented, while Rosberg has work to do to join the elite drivers in the field.

Rosberg, 30, is pushing hard to earn the results that his talents can achieve, although he may face barriers along the way to achieving his success.

As his teammate can attest, the rigours of winning your first World Championship can push your resilience to its limits.

Rosberg has to cope with championship pressure

Rosberg continued his dominant start to the campaign by notching his fourth triumph in succession, giving him a commanding lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship.

He has been forced to watch Hamilton collect back-to-back crowns, but now has an excellent platform to break his teammate's stranglehold over the rest of the field.

After his rapid start, Rosberg now has odds of 8/13 as of May 2nd to clinch his first championship. If he continues his form, it would be hard to imagine another victor come the end of the season.

Rosberg produced error-free drives to secure victory in Shanghai and again in Sochi. He has not had to be outstanding to hold his healthy lead, but his consistency has put him in a strong position to make a charge of his first world title.

He now faces the task of building on his early success, while also coping with a change in mentality as he will have to deal with the burden of being the favorite for the crown.

Consistency the key for the German

Rosberg has displayed great consistency in his seven years with Mercedes, but since the 2014 season he has been able to take his game to the next level.

He has only failed to reach the podium seven times over the past three years, which has helped him compete at the top of the Drivers' Championship, although the German has yet to take the next step to clinch his first title.

Should Rosberg add further wins to his collection along with podium finishes it would take huge effort from Hamilton to mount a comeback to defend his crown, with Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen also vying for the championship.

Daniel Ricciardo could also be a wildcard in the mix for the crown following his solid start to the season, with Red Bull beginning to emerge as a threat to Mercedes' recent dominance of the sport.

However, Hamilton displays confidence that he can retain his title by keeping the race as close as possible by fending off the challengers towards the end of the season. He has proved in the past that he can deal with the pressure at the end of a campaign.

Battle to the end of the campaign?

Hamilton won six out of the last seven races in the 2014 season on his way to securing his second title, with many of the venues unchanged since his charge to glory.

He will be aware that he has been far from his best at the start of the season, but he will be buoyed by the fact that the deficit is not an overwhelming amount despite Rosberg's early dominance.

Both men have reliability on their side, as Rosberg has been forced into retirement just once in his last 27 races. Meanwhile, Hamilton has a marginally better record with one in his last 29.

The battle for the championship will be an entertaining one between the teammates. It may increase Hamilton's desire to retain his crown but Rosberg will be determined to end his streak at the top of the sport.