Lewis Hamilton, even at his most graciously well behaved, has been outmanoeuvred by his rival Nico Rosberg in the buildup to Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton, when asked how he would feel if he lost his world title, said he would take it like a man. But when his Mercedes team-mate was asked how he would react if he lost, he replied: “I have not thought of that.
Such negative thoughts I will fully avoid. It won’t make me any faster this weekend if I think how I might feel if I lose. That doesn’t work. I am just planning to go for more race wins at the moment and that’s it.”
Hamilton loves this circuit, its swoops and climbs, its fast curves and overtaking possibilities, and he was quickest in Friday morning’s practice, beating Rosberg by 0.315 seconds, though he was slower in the afternoon. He may well win here on Sunday – he usually does, having been victorious in three of the four races staged at the Circuit of the Americas. It’s easy to see him cavorting again under his black Stetson and in a haze of sprayed champagne at the top of the podium. But even that, and three other wins in the remaining races, might not be enough to bring down the remorselessly consistent Rosberg.
In downtown Austin the other evening Mercedes invited F1 correspondents into their virtual garage. We wore noise-cancelling headphones and were asked to take part in a listening experience, taking in the sonically rich environment of Hamilton’s and Rosberg’s garages, using recordings made at Silverstone in the summer. It was difficult not to feel that Rosberg is virtually champion, a dogged compiler of points amid Hamilton’s self-inflicted or unlucky mishaps.
As Hamilton will ruefully attest, it is very difficult to wrong-foot the German. Would he, someone asked, just drive for second places, with a lead of 33 points? “I am aware of that but I will definitely not be putting any thought into that,” said Rosberg. “I am definitely going for the win rather than trying to bring home any second places. If I am in second place, behind Lewis, I will still be pushing for the win.
“I don’t know how much pressure Lewis is putting on himself. I am just trying to win this race, as I have done for the past three years. I am just trying to focus on this race.”
Rosberg insists he is taking things race by race, which may not be the stuff of tabloid headlines but seems to be working for him. “It is just something that has come about and I am sticking to it because it is working well,” the 31-year-old said. “Why waste energy thinking about other things? It is better to stay in the zone and focus.” Thank goodness the more emotional Hamilton is a little less predictable.