Lewis Hamilton has a healthy lead at the top of the driver standings, putting 40 points between himself and Vettel with only 8 races to go.
Hamilton has been driving exceptionally well, despite the Ferrari having a superior package.
Vettel’s on-track errors and the Ferrari strategists making a mess of things off the track have helped Mercedes and Hamilton get some breathing space atop the constructor’s and driver’s championship.
Hamilton took a jibe at Vettel after the race tomorrow, saying that he took pride in not making Vettel like errors.
“I don’t look at it and think ‘we’ve lucked in’,” said Hamilton.
“When Vettel hit the wall the other day, damaged the car and lost running on the track, that’s not us lucking in. I take a lot of pride in not putting myself in those positions.
“I know my team is relying on me just as his team is relying on him. There’s a lot of pressure on us drivers. It’s only small percentages that you get wrong and they have bigger ramifications.
“As a team we honestly don’t waste any time wondering what they’re doing, or if they’re feeling pressure, or if they’re feeling happy or unhappy. There’s nothing we can do about them, all we can do is be the best we can over a weekend.” he added.
The Brit emphasised on the fact that both Mercedes and he were focussed on the task at hand, as they know that this is not the time for complacency.
“There are still a lot of points available, so as an athlete, as a team, and as competitors, you have to stay positive,” he said.
“Hope and belief are two things that you always need to make sure you have. Even when the going gets tough, that’s what sport and competition is about.
“So I’m sure they [Ferrari] will go away from this as a difficult weekend, as we’ve had difficult weekends, and come back stronger for the next one.
“But I can assure you that we as a team, we’re not cocky or overly confident. We are being diligent and working as hard as we can. We want to keep hammering away as we are.
“If they’ve got an answer to that, then we don’t mind that battle. And if they don’t, then we also don’t mind that.” he added.
Hamilton has also admitted that his approach with respect to grand prix is not going to change in any which way, as he is not looking to settle for anything less than a race win.
“There is just no need for me to look at the next few races and think ‘OK, I need that there, and that there’. In my mind I need to win every race, simple as that,” he said.
“I focus on that and arrive wanting to win. There will be weekends when we know that maybe we’ll be comfortably stronger, and there will be weekends like this where we expect to be behind but we still have that belief that we can win.
“I want to win every race, that’s the goal. I’m just not looking at the points. It’s nice having 40 points, but it’s not the end until it’s mathematically impossible [to lose].” he concluded.
