Pressure is 'highest' it has ever been, claims Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton reckons that the pressure to succeed in Formula One is the "highest" it has been in his entire career as he continues to battle Sebastian Vettel for race wins and the driver's championship, following his victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton has been involved in top-tier Formula One for well over a decade and has four world championships to his name already, but thinks that the pressure has grown exponentially this campaign - not only for him, but for Vettel and the other drivers too.

“The heat is there, the intensity is there. It’s unavoidable for everyone, for me and him [Vettel],” he told Mercedes’ official website.

“It’s very difficult for people watching who are not naturally in it to feel what we feel – the pressure is at its highest that I can ever remember. That’s the pressure you put on yourself because you want to succeed.

“It’s the pressure of all your desires and your fears and also of all the people that are depending on you. Heading into this race [the Italian Grand Prix] I was definitely feeling less at ease."

Ferrari impressed during qualifying for the Italian GP, and took the front row via Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, with the latter securing poll. Hamilton felt the pressure when he realised he would need to hope to get past the Scuderia duo and hope to not lose too much ground on Vettel. In the end, he won, and extended his lead in the championship to 30 points.

READ MORE: Hamilton: F1 will miss Raikkonen
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“I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got two Ferraris ahead of me, how do I get past them, how do I not lose seven points, or more?’. The pressure is high," the Brit continued.

“You’ll never know how hard it is to prepare to be in the mindset I’ve got right now. To be consistent, to not make mistakes, to continue to deliver, it takes everything and more.

“I don’t just arrive with it, I have to work for it every single day. Especially with the season so long, it’s so easy to arrive and not be prepared and not be in that same mental state.

“You’re holding onto something, you don’t even know where it is, but it’s like magic somewhere.”