After twice finishing on the podium but not quite managing to reach the top step so far this season, Lewis Hamilton is keen to point out that he is happy with the way things are going ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. The Brit has suffered from two poor starts and will be hoping to have that fortune reversed when it comes to race day in Shanghai:
“It’s not been a smooth start to the season for me, so to be in the Championship position I’m in right now is actually pretty positive. If you can have two bad races and still come away with two podiums that bodes pretty well. I’ve come back from worse, that’s for sure!”
“People keep asking me if I’m worried – if there’s a downward trend emerging. But I’m feeling the complete opposite. There are no real flaws in our procedure and how we’re working, so I know it’s going to come good. On a personal level too, I’m in the best place I’ve ever been psychologically. There’s very little, if anything at all, that can penetrate that.”
“There’s a long, long way to go, so I’ll just keep working as hard as I have been. Now we go to China for the next battle. It’s a track that’s been good to me over the years, with five poles and four wins, so hopefully this race can be the turning point.”
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg meanwhile, has got off to a fantastic start, with victories in both races of 2016. The German heads to china full of confidence:
“It’s great to start the season in such a positive way. But I’m just taking things step by step, race by race and targeting a lot more wins to come. It’s important to enjoy times like these. I feel very privileged to drive the best car on the grid for the third year in a row and I intend to make the most of it.”
“I’m going to China now knowing I can fight for the win, which is a great feeling to have. It’s especially good in this instance too, as Shanghai is a track with good memories for me. I took my first pole and win there back in 2012, so I head into this weekend on a massive high. I’m looking forward to the next battle. We haven’t seen the real Ferrari yet, so it could be a very exciting season ahead.”
Mercedes once again find themselves in a strong position in the championship having proven their competitive edge is still very much apparent, and unreliability has not yet been a thorn in the Silver Arrows side. Despite sitting pretty however, the German squad are well aware that Ferrari are biting at their heels and even a small error on their part could hand a win and the confidence to the Maranello based squad…which they have no intention of doing!
