You should never, ever, give up says Hamilton

After clinching a third Formula One World Championship, Lewis Hamilton came into 2016 as the favourite to take a fourth title.

But it seemed that Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg would be the man to take the championship this season.

Luck had engineered a torrid start to the season for the newly crowned triple world champion, whilst Rosberg continued his form from the end of 2015.

Seven consecutive victories over the end of 2015 and start of 2016 made Rosberg look formidable, whilst Hamilton, who struggled with reliability issues looked fallible.

When the duo crashed in Spain, Rosberg was 43 points ahead after the opening five races.

‘I look at Barcelona for example this year. It was a massive low for me. There’s things you won’t know until I retire that I tell you that I experienced. I got up the next day and I went for a run, that’s my process, through my run I’m thinking about lots of different things. Hamilton was quoted by Sky Sports.

The championship looked all but over, even considering a 21 race season.

But over the following five races, Hamilton won four of the last five Grand Prix and following Rosberg’s penalty at Silverstone the lead is now a single, solitary point.

‘It’s crazy to think that the 43-point deficit I had at the time, which seemed impossible – I’m only human so those days I feel like it seemed impossible – you’ve just got to keep going, as painful as it can be, as hard as it can be.

He continued: ‘I don’t do everything perfect, I make mistakes. There’s days when I thought, ‘the worlds coming to an end, I’m never going to win this championship blah blah blah,’ I have those same things we all have. Somehow I try to find the positives in it.

‘Look where I am now, I’m one point behind in the championship. I’m even surprised. I’m like, ‘if I had given up at one point’? it just shows you to never ever ever give up no matter what.’

The 31-year-old’s recent form has now elevated him to third on the list of total wins, and total poles in Formula One.

Whilst a fourth title would be a first for a British driver.