• Briton needs near miracle to take title in final race of season
• ‘There isn’t a strategy, we’re in a position where it’s do or die’
Lewis Hamilton has raised hopes of achieving his first victory since August after finishing first in the second free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi grand prix. And he said he would sacrifice all his possessions for a second championship when he promised to drive as never before in the final race of the season.
Hamilton admits he is looking for a miracle – he needs to win while the leading three drivers fall by the wayside. But he said: “I’m going to push like never before. There’s no pressure on me. I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’ll go and have some fun and hope things turn out well. I’m going in with the glass three-quarters full and hope to come out with it overflowing.
“I’d give everything I possess to win this championship, everything, everything except my family and my girlfriend, everything I own and possess, and all the strength and determination in my heart and all the will.”
Hamilton issued a warning for the other drivers in the race. “There isn’t a strategy,” he said. “We are in a position where it’s do or die. Going into it this weekend I really need to win, more than ever before, and that means taking more risks than I probably have all year, which is exciting for me because it might or might not work. But it’s a risk we’re willing to take.
“Last weekend I was particularly cautious, especially at the beginning of the race at the first bend, when I was close to Fernando [Alonso]. That will not happen this weekend. I will be at my best on Sunday and that’s all I can do. I need to win the race and hope the rest will have their issues behind me, but you can’t guarantee that will happen.”
With rubber on the track, tonight’s second practice session was two seconds quicker than the morning run. The championship leader Alonso had been the quickest driver on the harder tyre but Hamilton topped the timings when the teams changed to the softer compound.
Reflecting on the season, he added: “Montreal was a really good moment for me. I loved the car and it was a great weekend, probably the most perfect weekend I’ve had.”
Asked about his worst moments, he said: “It would be easy to say the DNF [did not finish] in Singapore and Monza, but also easy to say DNF in Barcelona and Hungary and the points lost in Suzuka. We win and lose together. Sometimes the car has not been perfect and other times I’ve not been perfect. All we can do is improve.”
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