- Mercedes
Hamilton not daunted by gap to Rosberg
Lewis Hamilton insists he is not daunted by the 29-point deficit to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship.
Rosberg extended his lead in the title race under controversial circumstances at the Belgian Grand Prix after colliding with Hamilton and ruining his team-mate's race. However, Hamilton is not daunted by the gap and is hoping to reduce it at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
"My aim for the weekend, of course, is to claw back the gap in the drivers' championship," he said. "It's as big as it's been all season so I've got a lot of work ahead of me - but anything can happen in this sport. I won't give up until the flag drops in Abu Dhabi and there's still plenty of points to be won before then, so it's far from over yet."
Rosberg has also vowed not to rest on his laurels.
"It's still all to play for in the championship and with the double points race in Abu Dhabi anything can still happen," Rosberg said. "I'm focused on taking the maximum points possible in the remaining seven races and I know the team is too - starting with a top result this weekend."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the Belgian Grand Prix, which was won by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, was another wake-up call for the team.
"After a tough weekend in Belgium, our attention is now fully focused on the next race at Monza. We have a quick car but we have not delivered our full potential in recent races and that must be our target this weekend. Of course, Spa was a reminder to us as a team that our competition are never far away and we must continue to tackle every weekend as if it could be the defining moment of our season."
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