The Englishman has paid the price for occasionally pushing too hard, as witnessed in Bahrain and France when he failed to score a point. In contrast, Hamilton has also produced superb drives to claim victories in Monaco, Great Britain and Germany in his McLaren.
The back-to-back wins at Silverstone and Hockenheim have Hamilton heading into Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix with a four-point lead in the drivers’title race ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa. Reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen is seven adrift, while the challenge from BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica appears to be fading as the Pole is 10 points off the pace.
With eight races remaining, Hamilton knows of no reason why he should alter his approach. “It’s easy to say you’ll treat each race with a certain amount of respect,” he said. “However, the reality is I haven’t changed my style. It seems to work and I enjoy pushing hard.
It would be fair to assume Hamilton is on a high in the wake of his storming performances in the last two grands prix. However, he appreciates he has to remain grounded, otherwise it would be all too easy to get carried with the focus again on him. “I’m wary about making any strong predictions,” said the driver.
Hamilton won last season’s race from pole and he needs to be up front again if he is to become the first Brit to win three races in a row since Damon Hill in 1996.
Hamilton said: “Hungary is very different from Germany.
“Hockenheim allows you to slipstream and pass other drivers fairly easily.
“The Hungaroring is the opposite of that so qualifying will be crucial and strategy will also be important in determining the optimum fuel weight for the opening stint.
“It’s such a different type of circuit that it’s difficult for anybody to feel certain about their chances.”
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