Defending champion Lewis Hamilton has said in Malaysia that he will not be changing his approach this weekend, as he strives to hunt down Nico Rosberg in the championship fight.

German contender Rosberg looks a super composed figure this year, as he looks to end Lewis’ dominance within the team. Nico is on the back of a purple patch of form since the summer break, taking 3 wins in a row to claw back a points deficit. Lewis must now hunt down Nico’s 8 point lead as we head into the final 6 races of the season, adamant that his approach wont change.

“Nope, no plans to change,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve not given a single thought towards it [what is needed to win the title]. I’m going to take it one race at a time and see how it goes. I like to take it one race at a time because there are no expectations, and I don’t have any expectations to be honest, except trying to improve on the last races.

“If you set yourself targets and limitations and you don’t meet them or you exceed them then there’s different feelings. As a driver I will see how far I can push it this weekend and see if I can get a great result and do everything I can to build up to that.

“It is down to an individual as to how you like to approach it. Some like to write all the details down and it’s just whatever works best for you. For me, there is nothing I can do about next week whereas there is something I can do about tomorrow and the next few days, so that’s why I take it that way.”

Hamilton also shared his experience from being either the chaser, or the chased, in a championship battle.

“I think it’s a very personal thing and it’s probably different for each driver. I’ve led championships and perhaps when you are in the lead it can be more positive but the downfall can be bigger, maybe when you are behind you have less to lose so the hunt is more exciting. I don’t find it harder in either scenario, I enjoy it all.”

Since the return from the summer break it hasn’t been easy for car 44, as a series of issues have compromised his race weekends. The planned engine penalty in Spa was followed by a botched get-away in Monza, and a hydraulic leak in practice under the Marina Bay lights took away valuable race setup time. Either way, comprehensively out driven by Nico in Singapore last time out.

Lewis clinched the title in Austin last year, and then didn’t see the chequered flag again until this season. Nico had a fine finish to the 2015 season, Is this an omen for this year’s title conclusion? The fight appears to be closer than ever.