SOCHI: Lewis Hamil­ton will arrive in Sochi ahead of this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix determined not to lose any more ground in his tightly-contested battle with Sebastian Vettel in this year’s title race.

The three-time world champion knows that even the smallest of errors, by driver or team, can decide the outcome after revealing that he suffered from a minor issue in Bahrain that may have cost him pole in qualifying.

The Briton said his Mercedes car had a slight problem with the engagement of its Drag Reduction System (DRS) during the decisive session and this may have handed his team-mate Valtteri Bottas his maiden pole position.

“It’s painful,” said Hamilton, talking about his realisation that just a fraction of a second may have been so costly in that race.

“I lost two tenths from Turn 10 to 11 when the DRS didn’t engage in qualifying and I lost half a tenth out of the last corner. So, I should easily have been on pole.”

Hamilton’s pain was moderated by the knowledge that four-time champion Vettel was faster in the race in his Ferrari, even though his advantage was only marginal as the Englishman stormed after him in the closing laps.

“I lost position at the start, solely my fault,” added Hamilton.

“Then you’ve got the time lost in the pit-lane and you practice and practice and practice and practice and practice —and you only have 20 opportunities this year.

“So when you screw up, man, it’s painful. There’s no other way of saying it. When you guys mess up in your job, I don’t know how you feel about it, but particularly when it has big consequences, potentially, I’m sure you feel gutted as well.”

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017