Hungarian Grand Prix: No pressure for Nico Rosberg despite seeing lead over Lewis Hamilton cut to a point

Rosberg's 43-point lead has been reduced to a solitary point over the last five races

Nico Rosberg says he is not feeling the pressure despite leading the championship by a point over Lewis Hamilton (Getty)

Championship leader Nico Rosberg insists he is not feeling the pressure of Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck despite the gap in the title race now standing at just a solitary point.

Rosberg, demoted to third after the British Grand Prix following a breach of the sport's strict radio rules, has seen his hefty championship lead of 43 points wiped out in the space of just five races.

While Hamilton is bidding to win for a record-breaking fifth win in Hungary, Rosberg has not even finished on the podium here in 10 previous attempts.

But when asked if he was feeling the pressure of Hamilton's title charge, a defiant Rosberg replied: "No. We can all agree on the fact that so far up to now I've had the best season of all drivers. That's the fact for me which I'm focusing on.

"In general I don't look at the big picture, because the best approach for me to win races is just to focus on the weekend at hand, go for the win and that's it."

Rosberg's commendable achievement of winning seven consecutive races - a streak which stretched back to last season - must now seem like a distant memory to the German.


 Hamilton's victory at Silverstone reduced the gap to Rosberg to a point (AFP/Getty)
 (AFP/Getty Images)

For Hamilton, a winner of the last two races - including his home race at Silverstone earlier this month - he is riding a crest of a wave and the defending champion hopes it will carry him to a record-breaking triumph on Sunday.

A victory at one of the best-known venues on the Formula One calendar would see Hamilton surpass both the four wins that he and Michael Schumacher have managed here.

"The last two races, when you go from one strength to another, it is an incredibly empowering, motivating and inspiring feeling," said Hamilton.

"The last race was still the greatest week I have had as far as I can remember. So, I am hopefully riding that good wave into this weekend and I plan to catch the next good one.

"I surf, and sometimes you have to wait for the wave to come. Sometimes they don't come and sometimes you fall when you get up on the wave. But when you catch it, it is the greatest feeling, so that is very much how it is right now, to be on top of the wave."

PA