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The Briton needs no reminding of just how
fickle fortune can be as he returns to the steamy circuit where
his 2016 title hopes suffered a blow that ultimately proved too
great to overcome.
Hamilton has a 28 point advantage over Ferrari's Sebastian
Vettel thanks to the German crashing out on the opening lap in
Singapore from pole position and gifting him a third successive
win.
The gap between the two is the biggest it has been all year and
Hamilton will not need to win another race this year to clinch
his fourth title if he triumphs on Sunday with Vettel lower than
second.
But the 32-year-old will still be wary of Sepang, hosting its
final race before Malaysia drops off the calendar, after last
year's engine failure struck while he was leading from pole.
"I think it's going to be very close in the next races," said
Hamilton, who has won every grand prix since the mid-season
break, after celebrating his 60th career victory.
"We've just got to stay on our toes and keep trying to extract
everything out of this car."
Hamilton won four of the five races after Malaysia last year but
it was still not enough to stop team mate Nico Rosberg taking
the title.
"The last race was a strong reminder that sport always has the
power to surprise and defy all predictions," said Mercedes team
boss Toto Wolff after the two Ferraris collided at Singapore.
"We have been on the receiving end of those bad moments before,
and we know that they can happen as easily to us as anybody
else."
Mercedes are expecting the circuit to suit them better than the
tight twists of Singapore but they also have a mixed record
there.
The champions, who are 102 points ahead of Ferrari in the
constructors' standings, have won just once in Malaysia since
the introduction of the 1.6 liter turbo-hybrid engines in 2014.
Vettel, who has a record four wins at Sepang to Hamilton's one,
scored his maiden triumph for Ferrari there in 2015 while team
mate Kimi Raikkonen chalked up his first Formula One victory at
the track in 2003 with McLaren.
Red Bull cashed in on Hamilton's misfortune last year.
Australian Daniel Ricciardo led Dutch team mate Max Verstappen,
20 on Saturday, in a one-two finish for the former champions.
With tropical downpours an ever-present threat, the former
champions could find themselves in the frame again.
"My victory last year in Malaysia was definitely unexpected,"
said Ricciardo, who was second in Singapore. "It just goes to
show you never know what can happen."
Away from the title battle, French driver Pierre Gasly will be a
new face on the grid as he makes his debut with Red Bull-owned
Toro Rosso in place of under-performing Russian Daniil Kvyat.
(Editing by Alan Baldwin)
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