LEWIS HOPING FOR A SWING IN MOMENTUM

LEWIS HAMILTON concedes he has ‘no idea’ whether he will be able to wrestle the championship momentum back from sole title rival Nico Rosberg. Hamilton will head into Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix — the first of six remaining races — eight points adrift of his Mercedes team-mate after seeing him romp to a hat-trick of victories following the summer break. After he stormed from last to third following an engine penalty in Belgium, a poor start from Hamilton gift-wrapped victory to Rosberg in Italy. Then, at the last race in Singapore, Rosberg out-qualified the British driver by a crushing seven-tenths of a second before Hamilton finished a distant third. ‘Singapore was a difficult weekend for me, so to come away with a podium in the circumstances was pretty good damage limitation,’ said Hamilton. ‘Ultimately, Nico did an exceptional job and I didn’t have my best weekend. ‘I have no idea if the momentum will swing back to me or when it might. But we still have six races left, so I just have to keep giving it my all and hope for the best. That’s all you can do as a sportsman. ‘It’s going to take some good results to get back in front and stay there — but I’ve had plenty of those in the past, so there’s no reason to think they won’t come back to me again.’ Rosberg was soundly beaten to the title last year, but his recent good run — which has seen him lead virtually every lap since the summer break — will provide him with the belief he could finally beat Hamilton (below) and win his maiden championship in 2016. ‘Singapore was a perfect weekend for me and I felt great in the car,’ said Rosberg. ‘I had a fantastic qualifying, made a strong start and then came out on top after a really intense battle with Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the race, which made the win all the more fulfilling. ‘I’ve had a good run lately and I’m enjoying the moment, but as far as the next race goes, or the next one after that and so on, it’s anyone’s game.’ Mercedes, meanwhile, could be crowned constructors’ champions for a third successive season this Sunday after winning all but one grands prix this season.