Hamilton: Title hopes not dead yet

The 2008 champion was downcast after contact with Mark Webber ended his race in Singapore - just a fortnight after he had also retired in Italy following a collision with Felipe Massa.

When he returned to the pits after the incident, Hamilton said he was no longer thinking of the title and felt he had fallen too far behind, but he now reckons that the 20-point gap to Webber is less drastic than he initially felt.

"On Sunday night, I was obviously exceptionally disappointed - it's always difficult to get your head around things when you've just retired from a grand prix - and it takes time to come to terms with that," said Hamilton in an interview for his personal website.

"Clearly, it's not been a good run of results, but I don't look at those races and think what might have been, or what additional points I might have if I'd finished. There's no point. You just need to look at the situation facing you, and work your hardest to do your best.

"So I don't look at my retirements in Spain, or Hungary, or in the last two races as what's been lost. I'm just looking ahead at the next four races - I haven't won at any of those tracks, so I'll be even more motivated than ever to make amends for that.

"I spoke with the team on Sunday night, and we looked at things in their proper perspective: I'm still third overall in the points table, and I'm 20 points off the championship leader.

"That's still less than a race win - it's easy to get disheartened by being 20 points away, because it sounds such a lot, but under last year's rules, that's only about eight points - and to be eight points off with four races left is nothing really."

Hamilton believes his Singapore DNF was more a consequent of misfortune than misjudgement.

"I've already said that I was probably a bit too opportunistic in Monza; but, in Singapore, I've seen the replay and I was half a car-length ahead of Mark, and on the racing line," he said.

"It's just very frustrating that in Italy, I tapped the car in front and it broke my front suspension, and in Singapore, the car behind tapped me and punctured my tyre. I've been unlucky both times."

Given that, he sees no need to change his approach going into the deciding four races.

"I'm a racer. I always race my heart out, and nothing will ever change that," said Hamilton.