By Jonathan Noble and Dieter Rencken
Lewis Hamilton says he is approaching the Formula One title showdown in Brazil next weekend no different to how he has approached recent races.
The McLaren driver holds a seven-points advantage in the title chase over Ferrari's Felipe Massa, and claims he will head into the Interlagos event looking for the best result possible - even though fifth place will be enough for him to be crowned championship.
"Obviously, my aim for Brazil is slightly different from the other grands prix: I don't need to win the race, but that won't stop me from going into the weekend looking to be as strong as possible," he explained. "Shanghai was a good example of that: we hit the ground running on Friday morning and never looked back.
"Our aim wasn't to push too hard, but we found ourselves in a position at the front and took it comfortably from there. That's what I am hoping to achieve in Brazil - a straightforward weekend that allows me to just focus on my car and my driving."
McLaren are well aware that reliability problems or an unexpected accident could derail their championship bid - and that such problems will make the weekend stressful for the team.
The Woking-based outfit's F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "While we try and eliminate as many difficulties for the race team as is possible, there is no escaping the fact that a title-deciding race is clearly very stressful. You're somewhat torn because the need to score four points is considerably easier than winning – but that sort of attitude is anathema to the team.
"The reality is that Shanghai was rather more stressful because we only had a five-point cushion over Felipe and that could have been seriously dented. Given our performance so far this year, you'd assume that Lewis would be able to score the necessary points – but that could be affected by a sudden safety car period or a mechanical problem. Both drivers just need to drive clean races; but reliability is the biggest stress-builder for the guys in the garage, and it is a constant worry."
Whitmarsh is confident that McLaren will be more competitive in Brazil than they were last year, when Kimi Raikkonen took the victory that secured him the world championship.
"While Ferrari was able to out-perform us at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix, we feel relatively confident that the situation will be different this year for several reasons," he said. "Firstly, looking at the trends of the season, the characteristics of our car should be better suited to Interlagos than they were in 2007.
"Also, the weather was exceptionally warm last year – something that tends to favour Ferrari – and the chances are that it won't be quite so hot next week. These elements should create a very tight competition, which is good for everybody."
And Hamilton's teammate Heikki Kovalainen could play a key role in the outcome of the championship battle - especially if he takes valuable points away from Massa.
Speaking about his own aims for the weekend, the Finn said: "To win it, obviously! With the championship as it is, things are a little different going to Brazil. Clearly, I want to be able to help the team and Lewis wherever necessary – but the easiest way to do that is to be running at the front.
"The team knows I will play my part, but we are also targeting the constructors' championship. We may be 11 points behind Ferrari, but there are 18 points available in Brazil and we go into the final race still looking at securing both world titles – that has to be our aim."
Source:
http://www.autosport.com
