Hamilton 'proud' of way he is finishing season

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Lewis Hamilton says he is "proud" of the way he is finishing the 2016 season after taking the championship battle down to the final race.

Nico Rosberg enjoyed a 33-point advantage after the Japanese Grand Prix, and has theoretically been able to win the championship at each of the last two rounds. However, Hamilton has won all three races since Suzuka - in the United States, Mexico and Brazil - to ensure the championship will be decided in Abu Dhabi.

While Rosberg only needs to finish third to win the title next weekend, Hamilton says he is taking heart from the manner in which he is finishing the season.

"I am and will be proud of myself if I continue to perform as I am," Hamilton said. "I am proud of who has been a part of helping us win these races. What a year. To have nine wins is amazing

"I think [Brazil] is my 31st win with the team, which is just crazy. I am just really thankful that these guys have given me such a great opportunity and I have capitalised on it."

And Hamilton says all he will focus on in Abu Dhabi is maintaining his form, knowing the title race is out of his hands if Rosberg finishes in the top three.

"I’m hunting and all I can do is do what I’m doing right now. The team have been giving me a great car and finding the reliability has been really good, so the results are really showing that. I’m going to go and give it everything I’ve got. Abu Dhabi is generally a really good track for me."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.