Rosberg leads championship by 36 points. "I don't have any more jokers available," says Hamilton
Tuesday 19 April 2016 20:50, UK
Lewis Hamilton admits he cannot afford another poor weekend in 2016 if he is to retain his drivers' championship.
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg took a third successive victory this season to open up a 36-point advantage over Hamilton, who could only salvage seventh having started last following engine problems.
The three-time champion says he is out of "jokers", but knows with 18 races remaining he still has time to catch Rosberg.
"There's a long, long way to go. Lots can happen. It is just I don't have any more jokers available really," Hamilton said.
"It was a pretty horrifying race really, but there were some good experiences, there was some good overtaking."
Hamilton managed to overcome a 29-point deficit to Rosberg in 2014 to win the title, but feels more downtrodden than he did then.
"It doesn't feel any nicer than it did back then," the reigning champion added.
"If anything, it probably feels worse because it's just gone one negative after the other."
However, despite that viewpoint, Hamilton insists he is not about to hit a slump which has affected him during other parts of his career.
"I definitely don't feel the dark cloud I've had over me in the past right now," he said.
"Of course it's a trying time. There are lots of different emotions and thoughts going through my mind as you see the season start the wrong way. But this is a part of motor racing. This is a part of the journey."
Don't miss the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8:30pm on Sky Sports F1 for full analysis of an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Marc Priestley and Alex Lynn.
