Hamilton hoping reliability won't be an issue
Hamilton failed to finish three races this year, and Rosberg didn't cross the finish line two times.
SAO PAULO (AP) - Lewis Hamilton enters the last two races of the Formula One season hopeful Mercedes has done enough to solve the reliability issues that hurt the team earlier in the year.
With a comfortable lead over teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton will be in good position to clinch his second world title if he can just bring his car home at this weekend s Brazilian Grand Prix and at the season finale in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Hamilton can secure the title with consecutive second-place finishes or by finishing third in Brazil and second in Abu Dhabi, which will be worth double points.
Mercedes has been dominant all year, so if Hamilton can avoid accidents or the types of mechanical problems that affected the team during parts of the season, he can just coast behind Rosberg and still finish where he needs to clinch the title.
"The most difficult thing this year for sure was dealing with the DNFs and the problems that we had with the car and not finishing the races," he said. "We have to turn negatives into positives. That s how I managed to get myself where I am today. We have to put that positive energy out there and maximize the opportunities."
Hamilton failed to finish three races this year, and Rosberg didn t cross the finish line two times. Another setback for Hamilton in Brazil could turn the title race in Rosberg s favor again.
"This is not something you think about," Hamilton said. "We are going into the last two races with positive energy."
Hamilton has won 10 races this season, including the last five. He made it onto the podium every time he crossed the finish line. Mercedes has finished 1-2 in 10 of the 17 races so far, and the last time one of its drivers retired was at the Singapore GP in September.
"Yes, we ve had issues, we ve not been perfect, but we ve been constantly improving and trying to rectify all the issues that we ve had," Hamilton said. "Some of the issues that have come up have been a huge surprise for us. We don t know what the future holds, but I think we ve done quite a good job, particularly in the last five or six races. I m hopeful."
Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff said the team will do everything possible to make sure both cars make it to the end in the final two races.
"There will be (no) rest between now and the end of the season as the double-points in Abu Dhabi still has the potential to overshadow a great season should reliability become a factor," he said. "Our focus is still 100 percent on ensuring that is not the case."
Although Hamilton clinched his first world title in Brazil in 2008, he hasn t had a lot of good luck at the Interlagos track recently. He failed to finish the race in two of the last three years, and was only ninth a year ago. He has never finished better than third at the track in Sao Paulo.
The British driver said things could be different this time.
"We have a great car, an amazing team, this is the best season I ve ever had," he said. "It s like I m going for my first world championship. I m hungrier than ever."
