Lewis Hamilton feels he has proved he is not a driver to crack under pressure after having come through two of the toughest weeks of his Formula One career.
It was his poor error of judgement in qualifying for the British Grand Prix that gave Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg pole position and led to Sir Jackie Stewart suggesting that Hamilton's head "had gone a bit".
Yet, in the wake of shocking bad luck in qualifying for the last two races, in Germany and Hungary, the 29-year-old came out fighting and conjured two astonishing drives.
In Hockenheim, following a brake disc failure that pitched him into a tyre barrier, Hamilton powered his way to third from 20th on the grid. At the Hungaroring, a fuel leak caused a fire that wrecked his car, and given the damage and subsequent rebuild he was forced to start from the pit lane. A spin on lap one in wet conditions only compounded Hamilton's woes, yet he battled on to finish third.
There was also controversy as he was asked to move aside for Rosberg at one stage. Hamilton refused, which proved crucial as he managed to keep Rosberg behind him in the final moments of the 70-lap race when the German was on a charge on fresh tyres.
Given Hamilton's misfortune so far this season, it is no wonder he cannot wait to recharge his batteries.
"It's been a very trying, challenging and testing last two weeks," said Hamilton. "I saw one story that I would crack under the pressure, well these last two weeks have shown that's not the case, that I'm still in the fight and raring to go. "This break will be good for me now: to re-energise, get fit and come back stronger, both physically and mentally."
Before then, however, there are clear-the-air talks to be held with Rosberg, Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, the team's executive technical director, whose suggestion it was that Hamilton should yield.
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