F1 News: Hamilton Proud Not To Make Vettel-Like Mistakes

Lewis Hamilton is adamant that Mercedes have not “lucked in” to hold a commanding lead in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ championship and admits he takes pride in staying away from committing mistakes like his title rival Sebastian Vettel.

It is widely accepted that Ferrari have the best car on the grid in terms of pure performance, but despite that, they still trail the Silver Arrows team by 37 points having squandered points on numerous occasions. Similarly, Vettel also trails Hamilton by 40 points with six races to go in 2018.

The German driver has thrown away vital points during the course of the season, but his biggest mistake was when he crashed out while leading the German Grand Prix. He again made an error after starting on the front row in Italy, and in his latest outing in Singapore, he crashed in second practice putting Ferrari on the back foot by losing vital track time.

In the face of Vettel’s mistakes, Hamilton has been composed but aggressive when needed to guide himself to the top of the championship standings. He has been unshakeable this season despite the mounting pressure from Ferrari and admitted that he takes pride in not making the same mistakes his main rival has been accustomed to during the course of the campaign.

The British racer admits there is a tremendous amount of pressure on the drivers to deliver top quality performances every time they are in the car, and therefore believes that even small mistakes end up being quite catastrophic.

"I don't look at it and think 'we've lucked in'," Hamilton said, according to Autosport. “When Vettel hit the wall the other day, damaged the car and lost running on the track, that's not us lucking in.”

"I take a lot of pride in not putting myself in those positions. I know my team is relying on me just as his team is relying on him. There's a lot of pressure on us drivers. It's only small percentages that you get wrong and they have bigger ramifications,” the four-time world champion explained.

Hamilton praised his Mercedes team for lifting their game every time Ferrari got the upper hand and believes they have always concentrated on their strengths rather than worry about what the challengers are doing.

"As a team we honestly don't waste any time wondering what they're doing, or if they're feeling pressure, or if they're feeling happy or unhappy,” Hamilton said. "There's nothing we can do about them, all we can do is be the best we can over a weekend.”

Hamilton now is the favorite to win his fifth F1 Drivers’ title, but Vettel is unlikely to give up the fight with six races to go until the end of the 2018 campaign. And despite having a comfortable lead, the Briton made it clear his aim is to win the remaining races and not give Ferrari a chance to hit back, which he is certain will be the Italian team’s plan.