28/04/2016
NEWS STORY
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that though his cause is far from lost, he faces a "steep climb" this season.
After three races, the world champion is 36 points behind his teammate, and for once Nico Rosberg really does have the look of a champion about him.
Whilst Hamilton has previously dismissed the increasing gap, ahead of a race which he has previously won twice, the Briton has admitted that he faces a serious challenge.
"Of course there is an urgency," he told reporters. "I can't really afford to fall any further back.
"I don't look at it lightly and I don't look at it like it's not a big deal," he said of his teammate's championship advantage. "It is a big deal. It's 36 points. It's a race and a bit. I don't look at it thinking 'Ah, that's nothing'... it's a steep one to climb."
Whilst the first two races were compromised by poor starts, it was a great start that effectively ended his hopes in China. Starting from the back of the grid after failing to post a time in qualifying, the Briton was one of the first away and therefore caught up in the first corner melee.
"I made the best start," he revealed. "At the end of the weekend the team analysed the starts and I had the best of everyone.
"The last two races I've been driving with a loss in performance of nearly a second in the race and trying to climb a mountain with that is not so easy. I'm hoping for a clean weekend, apply the good start and we can move on from there."
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