Lewis Hamilton said his regard for Sebastian Vettel has grown as the pair return to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where last year the German barged his rival on the track. It was the low point in their relationship when they were in a closely fought battle for the title.

The Ferrari driver, who has two victories from three races this season while Hamilton remains without a win, leads the world championship standings by nine points.

Hamilton had only a positive response to last year’s incident as he prepared for the Formula One race around Baku’s streets on Sunday. “It is good to see fire in the people you are competing with,” he said. “It is good to see they are not perfect.

“We all make mistakes and how people handle it and progress is what you can learn from. He continues to progress as the champion that he is. The respect has grown a considerable amount since then.”

Hamilton’s season has not opened as expected. Having won his fourth championship last year, the Mercedes driver has been off the pace. The Englishman identified the problem of putting the car’s tyres in the correct temperature operating window as the cause of inconsistent pace but he said it had only made F1 more interesting.

“I am enjoying the battle, the experience, it is what motor sport is all about,” Hamilton said. “Finishing first is a great feeling but it feels better coming from further down. When you have had a harder slog to get there it always feels better. When the win does come it is going to feel great and then you move on and try to repeat it.”

Daniel Ricciardo, who won the Baku race last year and most recently the Chinese Grand Prix, has said he would relish joining Mercedes. The Australian’s contract with Red Bull ends this year and seats could be available at Mercedes and Ferrari. “I would love to be challenged against the best and Lewis is arguably up there,” he said.

Hamilton’s contract is also up this season but he is “fully committed to Mercedes”. He said: “I have every plan to be with the team for the future. It is not a rushed thing. I have made it clear and they have made it clear that we will continue.”