Lewis Hamilton feeling 'positive' to end Nico Rosberg run at Bahrain GP

"I have a real positive feel for how the year's started," says Hamilton

By James Galloway

Monday 4 April 2016 14:37, UK

Lewis Hamilton remains unperturbed by Nico Rosberg's winning run and says he has a "real positive feel" about his own start to 2016.

Rosberg's career-best sequence of wins from the end of last season continued at the Australian GP a fortnight ago, with Hamilton's return to pole for the first time in six months compromised by a poor start.

But up until his botched getaway in the race, the world champion had topped every session in Melbourne. Hamilton also eventually finished second to Rosberg, despite at one point running as low as seventh.

Rosberg - who on Thursday likened himself to football underdogs-turned-pacesetters Leicester City - has now won the last four races either side of the winter break, but his Mercedes team-mate is not worried.

"It's not really weird, I've had years where I didn't have any wins for a long time," said Hamilton, whose last went four races without a win in 2013.

"I look at the last race and all weekend was going fantastically well for me and then it was just a little bit unfortunate in the race.

"So I don't have any negative feeling towards it, I have a real positive feel for how the year's started and the strength that I feel now is really going to carry me into the season.

"So I'm looking forward to it unfolding and I hope that shows and I hope there's less unfortunate incidences like the last race."

Lewis: Qualifying situation 'strange'

Hamilton has won on F1's last two visits to Bahrain, with his victory over Rosberg in 2014 coming at the end of one of the sport's closest battles in recent memory.

The 31-year-old went wheel-to-wheel with several rivals on his way through the field in Melbourne and told Sky Sports News HQ: "There are lots of positives to take from the race.

"The procedures we went through in practice, the time on track, the pace that I had, qualifying… there were lots of positives to take from the weekend and [I will now] see if I can do it again."

In fact, Hamilton said he feels a greater sense of accomplishment when he battles back from adversity.

"It's the most satisfying feeling when you come from the back and you battle through," he told reporters. "So in the last race I felt good coming back to second. It's definitely a better feeling than starting pole and winning."