When Hamilton had sleepless nights in ’14?

abu dhabi — Lewis Hamilton on Thursday recollected how he had spent sleepless nights the day before the championship deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race in 2014.

“Yes, 2014 was a turbulent year. We had an issue at Monaco and Spa. We went through ups and downs that season and then to get to the last race where it was double points... I didn’t sleep the night before the race which was the first time, if not the only time,” said the Mercedes driver on Thursday.

He, however, went on to win the race and the championship.

And this time around too, Hamilton has the Yas Marina circuit fully pasted in his mind. “There’s one line through the first sector, for example, it’s very hard to follow, you pretty much need a one second, a 1.1s advantage over the car behind so that you can be in a position to overtake the car ahead so there’s quite a big delta compared to other races and it makes it very tough. This has generally been a strong circuit for me but I have not delivered in the last two years, so my sole goal is to do so, make sure I’m at my best this weekend as I have been the last couple of races.”

Hamilton is aware of the importance of pole position. “I want to make sure I’m on first place on the front row. Nico’s been really quick here for the last couple of years. It will be a challenge but one I am certain that I can face head on and do well.”

The three-time World Champion will be at his tactical best to clinch his title No. 4 but he was all sugar candy talking about his teammate and rival Nico Rosberg. “I’m really happy for him and proud of how he’s driven, particularly this year. It’s been a pleasure having him as a teammate,” Hamilton said.

Elaborating on the close relationship and how they drifted apart, he revealed: “We had a very good relationship when we started out as kids. Back then a race weekend was generally for kids karting and you’re out having fun. We had a lot in common. We both loved pizza, eating boxes of Kellogg’s Frosties and doing all the crazy things. We went on big motorbike tours. I still do every one of those but Nico has shifted in the sense that he’s very solely focused in terms of looking after himself. We went different ways when we were young: he went BMW, I went Renault. Then we got to Formula One and this was something that we had spoken about as kids and we obviously had ups and downs but I think we’ve managed it pretty well.”

But there were signs of animosity too. When asked to name the best race by Rosberg this year, he said: “I haven’t seen any of his races.” And on Rosberg’s performance: “He was quick in lots of different places, but I don’t think there’s one that particularly stands out.”

On looking towards the future, he said: “So 2016 has generally not been a spectacular year but there’s been a lot of positives to take out from it and either way I will take positives into next season.”