I’m hunting you down, Hamilton warns Rosberg
LEWIS HAMILTON warned Nico Rosberg he was “hunting” a fourth world title after describing his stunning triumph in yesterday’s wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo as one of the easiest of his 52 career victories.
The 31-year-old Briton won in Brazil for the first time at the 10th attempt to complete a hattrick of consecutive wins and keep alive his championship defence, taking the title battle down to the wire at the final race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Nov 27.
“I’m hunting and all I can do is what I am doing,” said a delighted Hamilton, who trails his Mercedes teammate and championship rival Rosberg, who finished second yesterday, by 12 points with one race remaining.
“The team have given me a great car and finally the reliability has been good. Right now, I am living in the moment.
“This was my dream when I was five or six, watching Nelson (Piquet) and Ayrton (Senna) race. It was one of my easier races, I didn’t have any spins, any moments. It was pretty straightforward.”
His 52nd win from his 60th pole position lifted Hamilton one clear of fourtime champion Alain Prost in the record books, leaving only one driver ahead of him with more wins – seven-time champion Michael Schumacher on 91.
Knowing he had to win to keep his title challenge alive, Hamilton – his racing helmet redesigned in tribute to Senna – drove with supreme concentration to claim a flawless victory in a dramatic race littered with accidents and stoppages amid the rainstorms.
“Not too bad,” he said, with deep irony. “I want to say a big thank you to the fans here, that was a long, long race.
“I appreciate all the support and they are so welcoming to us here. I was generally just chilling up front and when it rains it is usually a good day for me.”
He added: “A big thank you to my team. We are creating history. It is just incredible and I am so proud to be part of it.
“No mistakes, no dramas, no spins. It was interesting to hear how many spins there were behind me!”
Rosberg, who survived a half-spin, said: “It was on the limit today, with the rain and the decisions. Lewis did a great job, it was very difficult conditions, but I can live with second place.” – AFP