I can’t relax as rivals could punch back, insists Lewis

LEWIS HAMILTON is preparing for a fightback from Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel in the US this weekend despite being on the verge of clinching a fifth world title.

Hamilton is 67 points clear of Vettel and needs just eight more points over his rival in Austin to match Juan Manuel Fangio’s five titles and leave him second only behind Michael Schumacher.

But he warned: “We remain concentrated on just one race at a time. What might a fifth title mean to me? Again, as a team none of us are saying how cool it would be if that were to happen here.

“We are just focusing on delivering another win because in life and in racing you can never be complacent. There are still 100 points available and Ferrari could punch back here so we can’t relax. We have to raise the bar again and not think about how great it all might me. And it’s going to be wet, so it will be a tough weekend.”

Should Hamilton wrap up title No5 in Austin, the head scratching will begin in earnest at Ferrari about how, with the quickest car for much of the season, they have tailed off so dramatically in a campaign littered with errors by driver and management alike.

For one, Hamilton is at a loss to explain it.

“That’s just how it is in the sport,” he said. “I haven’t thought about the situation much but it’s a combination of many things. Also, our team are collectively doing a better job. But I don’t have a massive explanation for that [Ferrari’s title challenge falling away].”