Hamilton’s championship lead was cut to a point after he finished seventh in rain-hit Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with chief rival Felipe Massa grabbing a point from his sixth place.
Bad tyre selection cost Hamilton in practice and during the race as the 23-year-old endured a “damage limitation exercise”, while Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel became the youngest-ever F1 grand prix winner.
But McLaren driver Hamilton said he would try to be the aggressor in the remaining four races of the season: Singapore (Sept 28), Japan (Oct 12), China (Oct 19) and Brazil (Nov 2).
Last year he had a 17-point lead in the world championship with two races to go but Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen won in China and Brazil to take the title by one point. This year, with four races to go, Hamilton’s lead has been narrowed to one point over Massa and he knows he must keep his nerve.
“Kimi is world champion, so it is his championship to lose,” Hamilton said, although the Finn is almost out of the running after a third successive race in which he failed to score a point left him trailing Hamilton by 21.
Hamilton, 23, said: “Singapore is going to be a great experience.
“I’ve never been to the city before, and I love the fact we’re going back to a street circuit. Fantastic.
“Fuji, you know what I’m like there. I drove quickly in both the dry and wet.
“Shanghai, same again. I was very quick there last year, and I know the car I have will be fantastic there this year.
“And then Brazil, we’ll be quick there again.
“But I would say none of them will be particularly key. In each race we’re going to be attacking.”
“I’m in the lead because I’ve made fewer mistakes. You have to enter each race with heart but you also have to be smart,” said Hamilton.
“I can’t afford any more mistakes, definitely not.”
“He (Massa) is the guy I have to beat. He has a good car and is a good driver,” added the Englishman.
“Singapore is a night time circuit, which none of us have experienced before, but we’ll be OK,” the English driver added.
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