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Beating Rosberg should be easier - Hamilton

ESPN Staff
May 20, 2014 « Force India not expecting to peak in Monaco | Renault sure it hasn't missed a trick »
Nico Rosberg believes he came within a lap of beating Lewis Hamilton in Spain © Getty Images
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Lewis Hamilton says he should be finding it easier to beat Nico Rosberg after his Mercedes team-mate finished on his coat tails at the last race in Spain.

Hamilton won by 0.6s at the Circuit de Catalunya two weeks ago after Rosberg used a different strategy to close in on him in the final stint of the race. Although Hamilton has now taken four straight victories, it was the second grand prix this season where the battle between the Mercedes drivers has gone down to the wire and Hamilton is concerned he is making life too difficult for himself.

"It's still encouraging that I won [in Spain]," he was quoted by Autosport. "As in Bahrain I felt massively good after that, but I know what I've got and I feel it shouldn't have been that close. That's what I'm working towards [being further ahead]. The places where I finished ahead, like Malaysia and China, that's how it should be.

"In Spain and Bahrain he was quicker. Even though I finished ahead, and it's positive in the sense I know I'm able to behave well under pressure, but ultimately he was quicker."

Hamilton said he is striving for perfection and, as long as he perceives Rosberg to be outperforming him in the same car, he says he is falling short.

"I'm not being negative. It's just I'm a perfectionist. Most people would be like 'Yeah, I won the race. Even though the other guy was right on my tail, I won the race'. But I should have been quicker. It shouldn't have been as hard.

"As I say, I'm striving for perfection. It's not that I'm unhappy. I had an amazing day [in Spain], an amazing weekend, even though I struggled in qualifying when I nearly lost it. But I just pulled out a really good lap and got pole. That's a real positive, but it was a risky lap. In the race, I managed to stay ahead, and did a good job. But I want to be better, and that's what I'm getting at."

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