Formula One: Lewis Hamilton believes it to be a do or die situation
After having a dark gloomy round in Japan, the McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton vows to seek straight victories in remaining three races of the season.
At the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend the two Red Bull drivers dominated the Suzuka track all through the weekend, giving a 1-2 finish to the team. Their victory has widened the gap between the top five drivers from the previous difference of only 25 points
to current 31.
However, the season is yet to hold three more races, at South Korea, Brazil and the last one at Abu Dhabi, which leaves the drivers with 75 points at their disposal.
Lewis Hamilton, who has currently slipped to fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship from his previous top place, has declared that he would only strive for victories in all the rest of the races, as he has to cover a considerable difference of 28-points
from the charts’ leader Mark Webber.
While talking about the forthcoming rounds he said, "If we hadn't had a gearbox problem in the race I reckon I would have been competing with Webber.”
Hamilton ended the qualifying neatly for third place on the grid but got a penalty of five grid places for putting new gearbox before the race. However, the troubles of the weekend did not end here for the driver. The new gearbox installed in the Briton’s
car brought more problems as he was unable to drive at third gear and had to continue racing till the end between fourth and seventh.
Now, as the 2008 world champion recalls the incidents of Suzuka he said, "And if we hadn't had to change the gearbox before the race and I had started third where I qualified, I think we would have been in the top three for sure, if not challenging for
the win, with the pace we seemed to have. We have to do as much as we can. For us there is no choice, it's all or nothing in the next three races."
The McLaren driver currently stands at fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship having bagged a total of 192 points so far, whereas his teammate stands one place behind him with 189 points.
For Hamilton the last few races had been very unlucky, as he failed to complete three of the last five races. The Hungarian, Italian and Singapore Grand Prix saw him end pointless, while he got victory at the Belgian Grand Prix and ended at 5th
place in Japan.
Now as the Red Bulls returned from the Suzuka track with a brilliant ending, their team principal, Christian Horner uttered in complete delight that he was proud of the way the drivers have brought the best out of the cars.
His jubilation has further enhanced because the rest of the three tracks in Korea, Brazil and Abu Dhabi are expected to suit their cars immensely. "We think that we can be competitive at all the remaining tracks. There's nothing that we fear in the remaining
three races,” the happy man declared.
Yet he accepted the fact that the season had been very uncertain and still nothing could be said for sure even now. He reckons that Hamilton is a great racer and a man who could pull rabbits out the hat when required.
Therefore, Horner concluded saying, "McLaren are still very much in the championship," he said,
"and both our guys are still very much in the championship and it would be wrong to favour one over the other. We have said that all year. Until one is mathematically out of the championship, or practically out of contention, we will continue to support
both of our drivers."
Tags: