Lewis Hamilton looks to close gap on chief rival Vettel

Lewis Hamilton will start the Chinese Grand Prix with an improbable dream; to win every Formula One race from here until the last round in Abu Dhabi.
DRIVING FORCE: Britains Lewis Hamilton steers his Mercedes car during the second practice session in Shanghai. Pictures: AP/Andy WongDRIVING FORCE: Britains Lewis Hamilton steers his Mercedes car during the second practice session in Shanghai. Pictures: AP/Andy Wong
DRIVING FORCE: Britains Lewis Hamilton steers his Mercedes car during the second practice session in Shanghai. Pictures: AP/Andy Wong

Nineteen victories from 19 starts? Even for Hamilton that is beyond the bounds of possibility, but his Shanghai statement of intent demonstrates a need to get his derailed title defence firmly back on track.

Hamilton’s chief championship protagonist Sebastian Vettel boasts a perfect record from the opening two rubbers, and holds a 17-point lead over the Briton.

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A software glitch by Hamilton’s Mercedes team cost him a certain victory in Australia last month, while one week ago in Bahrain, a grid penalty following a gearbox change ruled him out of contention.

“We are only two races into the new season, but I arrived here thinking I want to win the next 19,” Hamilton said.

“I know the title is not won and lost in two races, and the experiences of the last two grands prix strengthen you, but I definitely don’t want to fall any further behind.

“I feel hungry, we are not a wounded beast, and I still believe we are the best team with the potential to win races and fight for this world championship.”

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And where better a place for Hamilton to reignite that fight than at a circuit where he has ruled in recent years? No driver can match Hamilton’s record of five wins here and no team can match Mercedes’ four-year dominance in which they have won every race staged since 2014. It has also been six seasons since a non-Mercedes car last started from pole position.

As such, it was little surprise to see the Englishman’s name at the top of the time-sheets in both practice sessions, and the smart money would be on him securing a slam-dunk victory.

Hamilton, however, was keen to urge on the side of caution, and who can blame him after two bumpy weekends?

Ferrari are going to be hard to beat here,” he added. “It is a good track for us, but it will be closer than you think so we need to bring our A-game every weekend.

“Our team needs to be unified and on top of everything.

“It is like a table with four legs. If two of those legs are not there, the table falls over. So, it is about making sure we have all the levels turned up to maximum.”