Formula One: Lewis Hamilton upbeat ahead of Japanese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is intending to rely on his aggressive instincts as he prepares himself for the title challenge ahead of Japanese Grand Prix. DNFs in last two races seriously injured his title aspiration but the British is reluctant to forego his aggressive
style of driving.
2008 F1 champion, Hamilton believes that drivers are always living on the edge when it comes to driving. He said that driving is a blend of staying safe and gaining advantage over your competitors. This approach was responsible for Hamilton’s failure at
Monza when he was involved in an accident with Ferrari’s Massa. Two DNFs in successive races have put pressure on Hamilton who hopes to make a comeback at Suzuka. Commenting on his prospects in Japan, McLaren driver said:
“I'm clearly looking at all of the races that I've done and looking at how my approach has been and trying to evaluate and try to take a step back and try to see it as something I can improve on, of course. Of course, I could go and drive around and not
overtake anyone and just stay in position, that's easy enough but that's not me.”
Hamilton looks forward to put pressure on his competitors at Suzuka, as F1 calendar reaches its final phase. This season witnessed some close competition between the number of drivers including championship leader Mark Webber, two-time F1 champion Fernando
Alonso, defending champion Jenson Button and newcomer Sebastian Vettel. However, Hamilton believes that he will be a force to be reckoned with, as he returns to his favourite circuit. He said: “Watching Michael race, watching Ayrton [Senna] race down here.
It seemed, at least while watching growing up, one of the very tough circuits but very much a driver's circuit. Coming here for the first time last year was a great experience and looking forward to getting back out there.” Hamilton praised the format
of circuit especially the first sector. “The first sector is incredible. You just never seem to stop, corner after corner after corner, and it is such a beautiful flow through there,”
Hamilton said.
On the other hand, Fernando Alonso, who has been in phenomenal form lately, said that he expects Red Bull to have a competitive edge in Japan. Spaniard Alonso comes to Japan after winning back-to-back races at Monza and Singapore respectively. After his
recent success, Alonso is now only 11 points behind Australia’s Mark Webber with four races left in F1 calendar. However, Alonso is pointing Red Bull as favourite for the upcoming race. He said:
“It is no surprise that Red Bull is favourites again. The characteristics of Suzuka are favourable to Red Bull. But that doesn't mean that they will win the race very easily. We saw this year circuits which were good for Red Bull were not 100% victories
for them because something happened.” Alonso said that persistence is the key for him and his team if they want to win this year’s championship.
As far as Red Bull is concerned, its drivers are expecting tough competition from all main title contenders. Mark Webber, who is leading the drivers’ championship table, believes that with new points system, the situation can change very rapidly. So it is
imperative for him to keep striving for victories if he wants to avail chance of winning his maiden F1 title.
Michael Schumacher once again finds himself in hot waters after German newspapers revealed that seven-time World Champion may be axed after next season if he fails to find his form. German newspapers reported that Michael Schumacher will be given chance
in 2011 to prove his worth to his team. If he fails to do that, he will be impeded from completing his three-year contract. Mercedes’ team boss Ross Brawn has been quoted in the newspapers as saying:
“With Nico [Rosberg], I'm happy. Now we expect progress from Michael, who is not yet at his best.”
Tags: