Lewis Hamilton says winning a record eighth world championship this year would be a "huge thing".

The Mercedes driver was speaking about his ambitions for 2021 with La Gazzetta dello Sport's Sportweek publication, even though he is yet to sign an actual contract with Mercedes.

But Hamilton said: "The eighth world title would be a huge thing. I can't even fathom the number, but that's what I'm focusing all my efforts on."

However, the 36-year-old insists he is not expecting to cruise to the title, despite his dominance of 2020.

"I expect a tough year, I can assure you," Hamilton said.

"Red Bull showed that they are very strong in 2020."

However, there are some who think Max Verstappen only dominated the Abu Dhabi season finale because Mercedes turned down the drivers' engine power.

"We always demand the maximum from our engines - they were simply faster," Hamilton insisted. "That's why we still have to work very hard, but I have a great group of people around me."