New Delhi: Lewis Hamilton said that his sole aim now is to help his team McLaren win the Constructor’s Championship, after a below par performance at the Korean Grand Prix.
"Realistically speaking, my chances of winning the driver’s title are over, so my sole aim is now to help the team win the constructer’s championship,” said Hamilton at the side-lines of a Vodafone promotional event.
Hamilton who finished 10th at Korea is now 62 points adrift of leader Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull and on the constructer’s standing they are 83 points behind, but good performance at the remaining four races can help the team win the constructer’s title.
Hamilton who is replacing Michael Schumacher at the Mercedes for the next season said that it is nothing like replacing him and all he wanted to do was to try out new things.
“The intention was not to come in the way of Michael. He has done more than any driver in the world. I have seen him winning those championships sitting in my home. To just drive the car that he was driving a year back is a special feeling. His shoes are huge to fill, and I hope that I am able live up to the expectation,” said the outgoing McLaren driver.
Talking about this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix, he said, “Last year there were some flaws and it was not 100 per cent but I hope organisers have worked on it and it will be a good race. Obviously it takes a few races to come up with a good circuit.”
“The Buddh International Circuit is a fast track. The first sector is fast while the latter half is of medium-to-low speed. Degradation of rear tyres was an issue last year and we hope to cope with it. BIC is demanding when it comes to the tyres,” added Hamilton.
When asked, how can the Indian GP become an iconic race like Spa-Franchorchamps or Silverstone, he said, “The track and good crowd make the race exciting. In Singapore and Silverstone, it’s full of people. When in Spain and Montreal, the city comes alive. It’s the fans who make it special. So if people can turn out, it can become one of the most exciting Grands Prix,” said the 24 year old Brit.
Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan in the past has been vocal about the slow car he is driving for HRT and Hamilton feels the same.
“It is unfortunate that Narain is driving a slow car. It could do wonders for him if he joins Force India which is a pretty good team. It will be a good stepping stone for him," he said.
"I am a Briton driving for a British team in a British car and it has done wonders for us so I hope it would be the same for him and India."
By Indian Sports News Network
