Lewis Hamilton not ready to concede 2016 title yet

Defending Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton isn't quite ready to concede his title defense to teammate Nico Rosberg, saying "anything is possible" with three races still remaining on the calendar. 

His victory at last weekend's United States Grand Prix moved him seven points closer to his German counterpart in the drivers' standings, the gap now stands at 26 points, meaning the title is Rosberg's to lose. Hamilton will be required to win the final three races of the season, and hope for a little luck that Rosberg slips up in one of them — a minimum of two second-place finishes and a third place finish for Rosberg will secure his first drivers championship.

Knowing all of this, Hamilton's performance has reinvigorated his attitude, and he's not quite ready to give up.

"I'm trying to keep a positive mental attitude," he said. "There are still points available and anything is possible. The moment you give up is the moment you lose. I've never given up in my life and I don't plan on doing so now.

"History has shown lots of ups and downs and changes [in previous years], and if you look at history there have been times where it is dead certain already, and there have been times where it has flipped. So that is exactly why I have got to keep my head down and keep trying to do the job I did this weekend, which I seriously believe I can do.

"I can't control what has happened to this point. It has already been set. All I can do is when I leave this season I know that I did everything with a full heart."

This season has served up plenty of diversity for the 31-year-old three-time world champion, engine failures at the Chinese, Russian and Belgian Grands Prix have impacted his grid position, and resulted in his retirement from the Malaysian Grand Prix. Across the Mercedes paddock, Rosberg suffered a suspension failure during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, but has not encountered any power unit issues. 

"So far it has been 100 percent reliable on his side," Hamilton said. "But often in seasons there can be 100 percent reliability on a car.

"Will that be the case on Nico's? Only time will tell. I can't get fixated on that. I have got to focus on mine, and I am hoping for these last three I will have 100 percent reliability -- that would be a real breath of fresh air. I will try and utilise that opportunity with driving like I did today."