As he contemplates a clear path to a fifth world title, Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes has already defeated Ferrari in the psychological battle.
Following his ninth victory of the season and Sebastian Vettel's collapse in Japan, Hamilton now enjoys a 67-point lead over his rival that all but guarantees his crowning in the next four races.
Ferrari opened up its 2018 season with two consecutive wins for Vettel, its SF71-H very much the class of the field, and remaining a force to be reckoned with over the summer, before the Scuderia's inexplicable decline set in.
"I think together we [as a team] can claim credit for applying the pressure and ultimately, maybe, that’s what happens in a head-to-head battle with top competitors," explained Hamilton.
"Even though they are still performing great, one of them can’t always perform the same. It’s the psychological battle, war, that we’re in. I think it’s collectively done from everyone.
"Everyone’s putting in 100 percent, and everyone’s delivered time and time again. I’ve been grateful to have also delivered when the team have delivered."
Ferrari's home race at Monza, where Kimi Raikkonen and Vettel dominated qualifying only for the latter to botch his race on the opening lap, is seen as a turning point for Hamilton.
"When we were having the race like Monza – for me, I loved that race," he said.
"I would’ve been happy to have had that every race following that. I honestly thought that we were going to have that.
"I thought that was how it was going to be, being that they were so strong at the previous two races.
"But they just lost a lot of performance, and then it’s been obviously a little bit difficult for them. Of course, I would love to have the race right to the end."
©Mercedes
Indeed, in a perfect world, Hamilton would like nothing more than for the championship fight to go down to the wire, with intense battles at every round along the way.
"Every single race, I want battles like Monza and like the other ones that have been like that," he said.
"Those are the races that I love, and I would welcome them more and more, but unfortunately it just isn’t the case.
"I can’t let that take away from the great job that we’re doing and from our happiness."
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