But Briton insists he won't go in search of retribution after Spa clash; Lewis 29 points behind Rosberg ahead of next week's Italian GP
Thursday 28 August 2014 10:51, UK
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he now faces an uphill battle to get back on terms with Nico Rosberg in their championship fight but has vowed that he “won’t take anything into my own hands” in light of the escalation in their rivalry in Belgium.
While the rights and wrongs of the Mercedes pair's clash on the second lap of last weekend’s race, and the subsequent fallout, will continue to be debated in the media all the way up to next week’s Italian GP, the end-result in championship terms from the controversial Spa race was that Rosberg opened up a title lead over Hamilton of 29 points – the German driver’s joint-highest advantage of the season far.
Hamilton has twice wiped out similar deficits to his team-mate this season, but with only seven races left and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo now within 35 points of him in the standings in turn, the Briton realistically can’t afford any more race retirements between now and the Abu Dhabi double points decider.
The former World Champion is therefore counting on the support of both his team and his fans to haul him back into contention having only won one race since May’s Spanish GP.
“It’s damaging for me, this weekend,” Hamilton acknowledged. “I don’t know how I’m going to get back those 30 points but what I do know is that I’ve got a great group of people behind me.
“The guys on my side of the garage have had quite a lot of bad races but I know that with their support, and the fans, we’ve got a great car, a great team, we should be finishing one-two.
“And I really hope that I can bring them some good points and good results moving forwards.”
And, despite Rosberg profiting at Spa from the Mercedes pair’s first collision of their tense title battle, Hamilton insisted: “Whatever the case, I will always put the team first and I won’t take anything into my own hands.”
This week's Midweek Report will first be shown at 8.30pm on Wednesday on Sky Sports F1 with Reuters' Alan Baldwin and Alex Brundle joining Anna Woolhouse in the studio to dissect the Spa fallout
