Lewis Hamilton insists he is feeling no pressure ahead of the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
Hamilton leads Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg
by 17 points
and needs to finish second if Rosberg wins to secure the title.
"I come into the weekend trying to win the race, like always. So nothing changes there," Hamilton said.
"In terms of the pressure, I don't really feel anything. I have been racing for 20 years to prepare for it."
The controversial award of double points for this one race makes it harder for Hamilton to clinch the championship than it would otherwise have been - in previous years a sixth place would have been enough if Rosberg won.
Hamilton's task is relatively straightforward. As long as he finishes ahead of Rosberg, he will be champion.
If Rosberg does not win, Hamilton needs to be fifth or better if the German is second or sixth or better if he is third.
Title permutations for the final race |
|
|---|---|
| Hamilton, 334 points | Rosberg, 317 points |
| How the Briton can win the title: | How the German can win the title: |
|
Finish ahead of Rosberg |
Win the race with Hamilton third or lower |
|
Finish no lower than second if Rosberg wins |
Finish second with Hamilton sixth or lower |
|
Finish fifth or better if Rosberg doesn't win |
Finish third with Hamilton seventh or lower |
|
Finish sixth or better if Rosberg is not in the top two. |
Finish fourth with Hamilton ninth or lower |
|
Finish eighth or better if Rosberg misses out on the podium |
Finish fifth with Hamilton 10th or lower |
|
Finish ninth or better if Rosberg is fifth |
Should Hamilton not score any points, Rosberg still must finish no lower than fifth to overturn the 17-point deficit. |
"I'm here to try to win the race and I need a bit of help from Lewis that he doesn't finish second."
Rosberg said his victory in the last race in Brazil, in which Hamilton spun while trying to make up enough time to leapfrog him at the pit stops, had given him optimism.
"There are many scenarios and I'm optimistic," Rosberg said. "In Brazil he made a mistake and I need to do what I can to keep the pressure on."
The two men appeared together at the official news conference before the race, which was a generally good-humoured affair.
However, a note of tension crept in when Hamilton was asked if he was expecting a fair fight - a reference to the two incidents in Monaco and Belgium this year.
In Monaco, Rosberg went up the escape road on his final run in qualifying, preventing Hamilton having a chance of beating him to pole position.
In Belgium, the two men collided on the second lap, an incident which effectively ended Hamilton's race.
Afterwards, Hamilton said Rosberg had "basically said he did it on purpose", during a post-race team briefing.
Hamilton said: "You have to go into weekends believing it's going to be the case.
"It has been discussed before the season, during the season and especially after Spa. We're not children.
"We should know what is wrong and what is right."
Rosberg said: "Lewis can do something (to ensure it is a fair fight) and that is drive cleanly himself."
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