Lewis Hamilton already has one eye on the winter break, but has vowed to push to the bitter end to ensure Mercedes land a hard-earned prize
After a wretched recent run, Hamilton finally had a smile back on his face following Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished fourth, and although 27 seconds behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who set a new Formula One record of eight successive wins in one season, it was his best result since third in Belgium in August.
With team-mate Nico Rosberg ninth, Mercedes now have a 15-point gap to Ferrari in the all-important fight for second in the constructors’ championship with one race remaining in Brazil on Sunday.
Explaining why being Red Bull’s bridesmaid is so crucial, Hamilton said: “I’m looking forward to the winter, but we’ve still a job to do.
“It will be such a good feeling if we can finish ahead of Ferrari. That would be huge for the team, and that’s what we are working towards.
“To be the second best over the whole season compared to Red Bull, to leapfrog Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus (Mercedes were fifth last year) would be great for the guys back at the factory.
“It’s not that they worked any less the previous years, it’s just they weren’t seeing the results they deserved. So to now finally see the results is big for them, and hopefully that will help in the development for next year.”