Lewis Hamilton says he “feels good” heading to the second last race of the season in Saudi Arabia on December 5.
The British world champion has now closed the gap to his closest rival in first down to eight points, with everything to play for once again at an entirely new circuit next time out.
Speaking at a press conference after the race on Sunday, Hamilton said; “I feel great.
“I feel in the best shape physically than I’ve been in all year.
“So just feel… obviously at the beginning, not particularly that well, so yeah, I feel great, the car is feeling better than ever, and I feel positive going into these next couple of races.
“I think they should be quite good for our car, so I’m looking forward to that battle.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said he’s excited for the final two battles of the season but says he would like the gap to be a bit more.
“Yeah, it’s exciting,” he said.
“I would of course have liked to make it a bigger gap, but when you don’t have the pace, it’s impossible to do that, so we’ll just try to be better, and come back strong, especially in Saudi on the street track, and then yeah, we’ll see in Abu Dhabi.”
With a one-week break until drivers head to the Jeddah Street Circuit, fans don’t have long to wait until this season’s champion is crowned either on December 5 or December 12 – to be determined by the results.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is located in the Corniche area on the Red Sea, the Jeddah circuit will be 6.175km long, making it the second-longest on the Formula 1 calendar, after Spa Francorchamps at 7.004km.
The circuit will feature 27 corners with the potential for 3 DRS detection zones according to F1 officials.
Its intricate design will increase the ability to overtake and will allow teams to “close-up on cars in front”, making for some exciting on-track battles this December.
Ross Brawn, Formula 1 Managing Director Motorsport, says:
“The design brings out the best of a modern street circuit but also has fast-paced free-flowing areas that will create fast speeds and overtaking opportunities.”