Hamilton is in ‘attack’ mode
LEWIS HAMILTON is ready to end his recent Singapore curse this weekend.
Hamilton has a threepoint advantage over Sebastian Vettel at the top of the drivers’ championship following his triumph at the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
But his Mercedes team are cautious that the twisty nature of the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore will be more suited to Vettel and his Ferrari. Hamilton has won under the lights on two occasions but failed to reach the chequered flag in 2014, before finishing a distant third last term.
On that evening, Hamilton lost the championship lead to Nico Rosberg and it was a deficit from which he would never recover. Hamilton also retired from the lead of the 2012 race, his last in Singapore for McLaren.
“Red Bull will be fast and it is known that it is not going to be the easiest of weekends for us,” said Hamilton. “But I’m coming here with positivity and I plan on winning this race.
“We’ve worked as hard as we can to understand the car and we come here in full attack. You can’t overtake on this track, so positioning is very important. Getting the car set up right so you can execute qualifying is going to be one of the key areas.”
The slow-speed Singapore track could provide Vettel with an immediate chance to move back ahead of the Briton in the title race.
“In theory, it should be better here than in Monza,” said Vettel. “But it’s more important to have the lead of the championship on Sunday night at the final race in Abu Dhabi.”