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F1 Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton vows to continue his risky approach in bid to haul in Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg

Hamilton admits that he cannot afford to lose any more points to Rosberg in the hunt for a second drivers' championship

Ian Parkes
Saturday 06 September 2014 12:20 BST
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Hamilton relaxes in the garage during Friday practice
Hamilton relaxes in the garage during Friday practice

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to continue taking risks in his bid to beat Mercedes rival Nico Rosberg to this year's Formula One world title.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff may have warned his feuding drivers their careers within the team are on the line should they continue to fall out of line.

But with a championship at stake, and a 29-point deficit to Rosberg to claw back in the wake of their collision a fortnight ago in the Belgian Grand Prix, Hamilton knows he has to continue his no-holds-barred approach going into Sunday's race in Italy.

"I can't leave Monza without points, but I've felt the same thing for the last seven races," said Hamilton.

"Hopefully this weekend the brakes won't go. You never know what is going to happen, it's scary not knowing what is ahead of you.

"But I'll just continue to race the way I do. I've always raced hard and I feel that is what I've been hired to do.

"That's what I've done since I was a kid, and it is what has got me to where I am, so I don't see anything has changed in that respect.

"I feel it's important for me not to change. The team have hired me to win the championship, to get them as many points as possible and to bring the car home.

"I have generally been doing that every race. If you look at my 150-odd races, I have brought it home in a large portion of those.

"That's what I do, and that's what I plan to do moving forwards."

Hamilton is hoping to take advantage of a degree of caution that may just have crept into Rosberg's mind given he was the one at fault in Spa, the one who had to apologise and who was fined heavily for his error.

"When I went into that corner in Spa, when you're in front and you're defending, you have to be 100 per cent confident of your position," said Hamilton.

"I know Nico is going to be more conscious of that moving forwards, so I guess I just keep on doing what I am doing.

"I know he's still going to be quick and strong, he's a professional.

"But he's not had an easy couple of weeks. We've all had that - I've been through it over the years - and I know how it is to head to the next race feeling everyone is looking at you."

Hamilton endured another of his rollercoaster days in practice on Friday as his time from the first session of one minute 26.187secs was the best of the day.

Come the second outing, however, Hamilton spent more than an hour looking on as his mechanics fixed an electrical issue.

Hamilton still did enough to finish second to Rosberg in FP2, ensuring the latest qualifying battle should be between the duo again, although Ferrari, McLaren and Williams are in reasonably close attendance.

Considering the issues Hamilton has suffered this season, his sentiment of hope for "a trouble-free qualifying", though, were understandable.

PA

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