Hamilton wants to keep Rosberg at a distance
In second place in the Formula 1 World Championship, Lewis Hamilton wants to maintain his approach to his races and his teammate, Nico Rosberg, who is currently his biggest threat, even though he believes that the competition will get closer.
Victorious three times in four races, Lewis Hamilton approaches the Spanish Grand Prix (from May 9 to 11) as one of the two main favorites, the other being his teammate and championship leader, Nico Rosberg.
In this regard, he knows that the biggest threat will come from within: Nico will be extremely fast at every race. Thus, he wants to avoid a close fight, as he did in the last race: I was determined to ensure that in China we would not be close, as we were [in Bahrain]. It was really a bit like in Malaysia, he explains to Autosport, before stating that he will not ease the pressure: I will continue to work and maintain my approach, because it works perfectly for me.
Has he taken the advantage over Nico Rosberg, however? The Briton responds with the facts: « He is still leading the championship, isn’t he? In sports, everything is a game of psychology. So, obviously, when you have good results you can’t measure the effect it has on people. But I know how positive it is for me. »
He knows the value and performance of his teammate, especially behind the wheel of a car that could potentially lead him to the first title of his career: « Nico drives really well, he pushes me very hard and keeps me on my toes. We will see from race to race, there will be times when he is faster and others when I am faster, like last year. »
« I generally did well in China, but in Bahrain, for example, he took pole position and was stronger overall there. My work this year has been to reduce the gap a little, which I did: it wasn’t half a second like last year in qualifying, it was three-tenths, » he tells the British website F1Times, before adding: « What I’m really trying to focus on are the circuits where I am weaker, or not as close to him. »
In 2013, Nico Rosberg took the advantage over Lewis Hamilton in qualifying in Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Singapore, India, Abu Dhabi, and Brazil. This season, in four qualifying sessions, Hamilton has taken the advantage over Rosberg each time in wet conditions, which led the German, who secured pole in Bahrain on a dry track, to say to the television channel RTL: « I was better on the dry, he was better in the rain. »
Regarding the competition, finally, Lewis Hamilton remains cautious and continues to remind that Mercedes cannot rest on its laurels: « There are a lot of races, so you cannot predict what will happen. Ferrari made a big step forward [in China]. They are not at the same pace as us, but going from 10th place [in Bahrain] to 3rd is quite impressive. Renault will also improve its engine for the next race. We cannot stand still. We must continue to progress, and I am sure we will. »
