28/10/2016
NEWS STORY
Though he will not be taking any additional risks, Lewis Hamilton concedes that he must win in Mexico.
Despite a flawless performance in Austin - particularly in those anxious few seconds at the start of the race - Lewis Hamilton left the circuit knowing that he still trailed teammate Nico Rosberg by 26 points in the standings.
There are all number of permutations in terms of how either driver might win the title, the German even mathematically capable of doing it this weekend, however, Hamilton is leaving all that aside and going for wins.
"There are lots of different ways you can look at it," he told reporters in Mexico ahead of this weekend's race. "Obviously I have to win all the races but I knew that at the last race.
"People can interpret it any way they want," he continued, "but all I know is I've got to win and I'm going to try and do the best job I can, and really trying to apply everything I've learned over all those years. If there's any time for me to be the best I've ever been, it's these last three races."
However, mindful of his poor reliability and power unit stats that suggest he might be pushing his equipment that little bot harder than fellow Mercedes runners, the Briton insists he will not overdrive this weekend.
"I'll approach this weekend the same as I approach every one," he said, "maybe slightly more relaxed than others. I've accepted that there are things out of my control, and all I can do is control what's in the car and what I do. So I'm putting all my energy towards that.
"I don't think I'll be taking more risks than usual," he insisted. "I think I'm usually a relatively risky driver, but I'm going for it, that's for sure. And while my heart is still beating, I still have that drive to win, and there's still an opportunity, even if it's only one per cent, I'm going to be going for it."
Check out our Friday gallery from Mexico City, here.