Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has vowed to reach new heights as his title fight against Red Bull rival Max Verstappen reaches its climax. Hamilton charged through the field to claim victory in Brazil, before securing a dominant win in Qatar, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claiming that Red Bull have "woken up the lion" in the seven-time World Champion . It means that, ahead of the final two rounds of the season in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, Hamilton trails Verstappen by just eight points in the championship standings, with 52 still up for grabs (including the fastest lap bonuses).
"There's no time for celebrations"
Hamilton is feeling "driven" to continue his charge next time out, though stressed that Verstappen and Red Bull remain a fierce opponent. "The last two weeks have been fantastic, just amazing," Hamilton told Sky Sports , as the latest triple-header of the season came to a close. "[But] there's no time for celebrations. I'll be back with the team already again in the week and back in training, just staying on it, head down. "I don't really have too much emotion, except for [feeling] driven right now. But it's amazing to be able to close back so many points in these last two races - it's been important. "They're [Red Bull] obviously still very fast, as you could see with their fastest lap and both their cars getting past pretty much everyone quite easily, so we've still got our work cut out."
"I'm loving the pressure"
Hamilton cut a relaxed figure during post-race interviews in Qatar and made it clear that he is relishing the fight for what would be a record-breaking eighth world title. Asked how much he is enjoying the season, Hamilton commented: "I'm loving it. I love the close battle and the pressure and the demands it puts on you and the whole team. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. "But these next two races are needing a better performance, so we'll be bringing our triple A-game for those ones." While Hamilton closes in on Verstappen, Mercedes lead Red Bull by five points in the Constructors' standings.
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