- Mercedes
'Zero comfort' despite title lead - Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton thinks he has a race pace advantage over Nico Rosberg but still does not take any comfort from his lead in the championship ahead of the Abu Dhabi finale.
Rosberg's victory over Hamilton in Brazil narrowed the gap to 17 points, but there are 50 available to the Mercedes drivers in the controversial double points race at the Yas Marina Circuit. A spin cost Hamilton victory at Interlagos, a race where he had a clear pace advantage over Rosberg - setting the fastest lap - but was unable to get close enough to challenge for the lead.
Despite his lead in the standings, Hamilton says the format of the finale means his lead counts for little.
"There's zero comfortability going into the next race," Hamilton said. "There's 50 points to gain, that's never really happened in Formula One before. It just happens to be this season and in the last race you never know what's going to happen. I'm going to the last race to win, same as ever."
Rosberg had beaten Hamilton to pole at Interlagos but the 2008 world champion thinks his main strength is and always has been the pace he can find during the race itself.
"I was pushing to win, the same as every race. I never got close enough. I tried but I just couldn't get close enough. I was pushing the same as every race weekend and I don't feel like there were any unnecessary risk. I'm quicker in the race, that's clear. In qualifying sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't. I know I can be quick, I know I can be quicker."
Hamilton's pace behind Rosberg in the closing stages was impressive as he was in dirty air of his team-mate, meaning the wear on his tyres would have been far greater. He says proving people wrong about his use of tyres is one positive he can take from the Brazil result.
"People have constantly reported about how I use tyres and all this stuff, I think today I showed you that I utilised my tyres better than anyone in race weekends. I utilised them more than Nico did. I was always behind, always in his dirty air scrubbing the life out of the tyres, but still staying with him. When he pitted I had extra pace. So at least you could see that and those are positives to take from that."
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