Lewis Hamilton can win a sixth F1 World Championship at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday if he outscores his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 14 points, but he isn’t convinced this will happen either.
The 34-year-old has gone six races without a pole-position, his longest drought since 2015, and his last came at the German Grand Prix, where he ended up finishing ninth.
Red Bull and Ferrari have become stronger as the season has progressed and the power advantage Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel appear to now have down the straights, could be crucial for the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“Oh, I don’t think a lot has changed,” Hamilton said about his chances in qualifying.
“We are going to go into the weekend knowing that Ferrari are massively quick, usually on the straights.
“And obviously straights are a powerful element of the circuit so I don’t know when we’ll be getting another pole.”
But despite the considerable improvements from the Prancing Horse, Mercedes have won the last two races in Russia and Japan respectively.
And while qualifying might be an issue Hamilton at the moment, he believes he still has a chance when the lights turn green on Sunday.
“As you’ve seen in previous races it’s not necessarily all about qualifying these days,” said Hamilton.
“It’s about making sure you’ve got the car also ready for the race.”
As for his chances of clinching the title this weekend, Hamilton isn’t convinced he’ll finish 14 points ahead of Bottas.
“I don’t remember if in a season I’ve finished 14 points ahead of Valtteri at any point and, if it has, it may have been one race, maybe,” Hamilton added.
“So I anticipate it will be a difficult weekend – Valtteri has been strong all year and obviously won the last race so I expect him to be strong this weekend too.
“Doesn’t matter where it’s done, as long as you get it done then that’s what I’m trying to do.
“I’m fully aware that there are still plenty of points on the table and I have to fully deliver over the next four races.”