- Mercedes
'I feel like I've been on the back foot all year' - Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is hoping to take the fight to team-mate Nico Rosberg on the track for the rest of the year - with no help or hindrance from reliability issues - after feeling like he was on the "back foot" for the first half of the season.
After two retirements of his own earlier in the season, Rosberg's first terminal issue of the season at the British Grand Prix allowed Hamilton to draw within four points of his Mercedes team-mate. He said he felt as though the season was starting afresh and is looking forward to "a really close battle" now Mercedes has solved the gearbox issue that stopped Rosberg.
"I feel like I've been on the back foot all year, only briefly leading the championship despite taking the wins I've had, so to have got myself just about level was exactly what I needed," he said. "It's almost a fresh start heading into the second half of the season and it's going to be a really close battle between us. Of course, you never want to see your team-mate fall away, but hopefully we can now strike a line under the retirements and push each other all the way on track."
Hamilton said Silverstone gave him the belief that he can be ahead if he does a good job.
"You can't have everything - the best car, the best pace, the best speed at the end of the straight and perfect reliability - because things are on the limit. But I know how hard the team are working to get as close to that benchmark as we can possibly be. There were lots of positives to take from Silverstone. Knowing I'm going into the next race with the best car, having shown that I've got good pace, and knowing that if I do a good job I can be ahead is a good place to be."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
