Lewis Hamilton claims there will be no thoughts of securing his fifth Formula 1 championship this weekend at the United States Grand Prix.
The Briton needs to score eight points more than title rival Sebastian Vettel in Austin to claim the Drivers’ crown just as he did three years at the Circuit of the Americas.
However: “I’m definitely not thinking how I will feel here if I do the job, because I have got to do the job and that just adds more pressure and you don’t need more pressure,” he said on Thursday.
“I am just focusing on driving the best that I’ve driven all year long and that we get the car where we need to get it.
“There are still 100 points available so we can just never be complacent in a championship as intense as this.
“We expect Ferrari to punch back hard here this weekend, so we can’t be relaxed in any way, shape or form. We have got to make sure we come here and raise the bar again.”
With six wins in seven visits across the pond, Hamilton’s record speaks for itself but ahead of this weekend’s action, there is one factor everyone is having to consider.
“It’s going to be wet tomorrow I think and potentially on Saturday, so it’s going to be a tricky weekend and nothing is given,” Hamilton said.
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While much of the focus has been on Vettel and Ferrari for their mistakes allowing Hamilton into the comfortable position of having a 67-point lead with four races to go, the 33-year-old also believes the work he and Mercedes have done can’t be overlooked.
“I know I’ve improved throughout the year, how you conduct yourself, how you perform within a team and how you are able to maximise within the car,” he said.
“I think also collectively as a team, we’ve done a better job in every area.
“Then the other side for sure has not done as good a job in that respect, coming into the second phase. I don’t really have a massive explanation for it.”
