Nico Rosberg insists title rival and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton has not lost his focus and remains as determined as ever.
The Briton slipped 33 points behind Rosberg in the battle for the World Championship on Sunday in Japan following a week where his attitude was questioned after clashing with the press.
After winning the title in both 2014 and 2015, it has been a different story in 2016 for Hamilton, with a string of engine problems hindering him and leading to friction within his own team.
With his chances of topping the standings for a third straight year dwindling, questions have been raised about his mindset heading into the final four races.
Hamilton’s loss has been Rosberg’s gain and the German finally looks as if he is going to get the better of his Silver Arrows colleague by winning the world title.
But Rosberg is taking nothing for granted and is adamant his colleague will continue to push hard.
“I don’t know what is going on, but I can tell you that behind the scenes he’s been as focused as ever, which he always is and especially after a setback like Malaysia,” Rosberg said.
“He was working the longest hours I have seen him work in many months trying to get the little extra bit of lap time.
I’ve seen him extremely motivated and focused. “I haven’t seen any ‘self-destruction’ and the Lewis I saw was massively motivated and focused.”
Rosberg is currently the 1.20 favourite to win the World Championship ahead of Hamilton, who is 5.00.
The pair will again duel it out at the next race in the United States on October 23, for which they are currently 2.10 joint-favourites to win.
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