Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is hoping for a 'straight battle' for the Formula One championship against teammate Nico Rosberg and is looking to join the greats of the motor racing sport at Suzuka this week.
Although he won at Fuji in his debut season in 2007, Hamilton has finished on the podium only once at Suzuka, which returned to the calendar in 2009, and that was on the bottom step.
However, on the back of consecutive race wins, the Brit heads to Japan with a three-point lead at the top of the championship standings following Rosberg's retirement in Singapore, The Guardian reported.
Due to Mercedes' five retirements, three for Hamilton and two for Rosberg, the team has been unable to wrap up either the drivers' or constructors' championships despite the obvious speed advantages, and now Hamilton is determined to see the title be decided on the track.
The Brit said that it was disappointing for the team to have another retirement but added that he knows they have made this a priority moving forwards. He said it has levelled things up in the drivers' championship, so hopefully they would now have a straight battle right to the flag in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton is now also looking forward to add his name to that of past victors at the circuit and believes that he is currently in the best position to do so. He said that Suzuka is one of the races on the calendar that drivers love the most and arguably one of the greatest tracks in the world.
Hamilton added that there's so much history and there have been so many defining moments there like those unforgettable battles between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
The Brit said that he has never won at this circuit and have only made the podium once, on his first visit way back in 2009. This year, though, he added that Mercedes have an exceptional car and he is really hoping that he would finally have his shot at the top step.