Hamilton focused on Japan GP winposted in F106 | 10 | 2016
LEWIS HAMILTON HAS stated he’s moved on from the disappointment of the engine failure which denied him victory in last weekend’s Malaysia GP, and is focused on winning at Suzuka this weekend.
Hamilton heads into Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix trailing his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 23 points in the fight for the world championship, with only five grands prix remaining.
But he stresses he’s had lower points in his career than where he stands now, and believes he can continue his record of having been fast in recent races at Suzuka.
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“Of course, last weekend was a massive disappointment,” the three-time world champ said. “Not just for me personally but for the whole team. But there’s no use dwelling on these things. That’s just negative energy.
“All we can do is focus on the next race, taking things one step at a time and doing the best job we can. There’s no substitute for hard work and I’ve never been afraid of that.
“The guys are hurting from what happened too and I know they’ll be working just as hard to get things right next time.
“It’s not the lowest point I’ve had. There have been lower moments for sure. Regardless, I will find strength from within to fight back over these next five race weekends.
“If I can perform like I did last weekend and the car holds together, then good things can still come my way. I love the Suzuka circuit and I’ve been quick there for the past two years, so hopefully that trend will continue.
“I know I’ll have some fantastic support in the grandstands to lift me up and give me that extra boost. The energy from the fans in Malaysia was the best I’ve ever seen there and now we’re going to Japan, where they just seem to find another level every year.
“It’s insane how crazy they go for the sport and I get a real buzz out of that. Fingers crossed I can make it happen to pay them back for all the love and strength they send my way.”
And Hamilton received support from Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, who explained the team has “no rational explanation” for the problem which hit him in Malaysia.
“We’ve talked amongst ourselves and said, “how is this possible?” But there is no rational explanation or pattern in these failures,” Wolff admitted.
“If there were, we would resolve it. We’ve had that discussion with him and he understands that we are feeling his pain too. Despite his frustration, he has been trying to pick the team up and we admire him even more than ever for that.
“We will bounce back from this together. It’s tough when these things come at a crucial point in a championship battle.
“It’s a massive blow to his campaign. But the championship isn’t over yet. There are still five faces to go. It will be tough of course, as Nico is driving better than ever before.
“He proved that in Singapore and then again with a great recovery in Malaysia. We will let them battle it out on track over the next five races — hopefully without any reliability woes — and then see where we are.
“One thing is for sure, we are not going to talk any more about winning championships before it has happened. We will keep both feet on the ground and do the best we can in every area until the job is done.”
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Jim McGill