- Mercedes
No game plan for fearless Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton says he has no fears and no game plan as he chases his second world championship at the final two races of the season.
Hamilton arrives at the penultimate round in Brazil with a 24-point lead over team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg, but could still lose the championship even if he wins this weekend and Rosberg retires. Double points in Abu Dhabi means a retirement would be particularly costly for Hamilton at the final round, but he is not dwelling on the various permutations at the next two races.
"I don't have any fears," he said. "Honestly, you can look in my eyes, I don't have any fears. I feel like where I am today is not down to luck. I'm not where I am today by mistake, there are reasons for me being in this team and coming into this team at that time. There are reasons why we have the best car today and why we've had the results this year.
"That's all the hard work that's gone in and I really think I've utilised every experience or opportunity I've had this year, or at least recovered if I have not utilised it in qualifying. I feel comfortable and I feel I've done everything I can. At the end of the day that's all you can do, and in these next two races I'm going to do everything I can do, and whatever the result at the end of it, it's the way it is but I will know I did everything that I could.
"I will go into my winter knowing that I did everything that I could and I won't look back and say 'If only I'd done that or this'. That's a good feeling to have and that's perhaps why I'm excited to be here and get in the car tomorrow."
Hamilton could finish second to Rosberg at both races and still win the title, which seems straightforward given the advantage Mercedes has over the rest of the field. However, he insists his approach has not changed and he is still chasing race wins at the final two races.
"I'm not coming to these last couple of races particularly with a game plan. I approach this race the same as I have approached the whole season really, I want to win. I've never been one to want to win the championship by not winning. I want to win [the race] when I win the world championship rather than finish fifth or wherever it may be.
"But of course it is the most intense part of the year, and coming this time round I feel much different to how I was in 2008, I feel excited but I feel relaxed. I feel we have got a great car and great team as long as we continue to do what we have done at previous races and learn from last weekend because it wasn't a perfect weekend and we can still improve. If I can take that into this weekend and improve again that will be a real positive."
However, Hamilton admitted reliability was still in the back of his mind after a series of problems throughout the season.
"I really don't know how to plan these next two races. In the previous races before this I have approached it in one way and it's gone particularly well, so I don't think I should really be changing my approach. Of course coming into this weekend I want to make sure my engine sees through the whole weekend and the whole car in general. There are certain things you learn through the year and you can apply them this weekend. You need to try to be fast and lead the race, but also look after the engine, look after the gearbox and make sure that you bring the car home.
"Do you take less risks? I don't really feel like I've been taking many risks anyway. It's a slightly different position to where I was before, but you never know what is going to happen this weekend, it could make things difficult for the next one. But having had those experiences in the past, I feel more than ever prepared this time than I was in those experiences."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
