Lewis insists title challenge is not off-kilter
LEWIS HAMILTON insists he has the brave heart to handle the pressure of his world title battle with Max Verstappen.
After winding down following his 100th grand prix win in Russia by attending Paris Fashion Week, Hamilton (left) arrived in Istanbul for the next instalment of their absorbing contest sporting a kilt.
And the Mercedes man insisted his showbiz existence away from the track is just what he needs
by SIMON CASS to stay focused in the cockpit.
“I find it easy because I have these other outlets, so I can blow off steam in different ways,” said the 36-year-old ahead of this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul.
“The most important thing is to come back into the racing environment fresh, recovered, positive and I don’t really have any worries. I am able to arrive and just love doing my job.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve found ways to get me on course and I know what can also put me off course. I know what makes me tick and I’ll stick to them.”
Reflecting on his century of triumphs, he added: “I went back to the UK, running around London, and people were shouting out, ‘One hundred.’
“Everywhere I went people were super supportive – in Paris, too. I wasn’t expecting it but it was nice to see.” Verstappen (inset) is bidding to win his maiden title and Red Bull’s first since 2013. But the 24-year-old has played down the pressure of fighting the sport’s most decorated driver. “Winning the championship is not going to change my life,” he said. “For me there is not much to worry about. “I know that my team does the best they can and they expect that from me, too. We are fully committed to make this success together but you cannot force things.
“You have to work hard and well together and we will find out at the end of the season where that puts us.
“But whether it is first or second, we don’t know.”
Formula One doctor Ian Roberts and medical car driver Alan van der Merwe have tested positive for Covid and will be replaced for this weekend’s Turkish GP by a team from the all-electric Formula E series.