Lewis Hamilton says he is surprised and would have "never predicted" the speed in which he has managed to close down his points deficit to team-mate and current championship leader Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg has led the championship since the season-opening race in Australia, winning four races back-to-back to open up a huge 43 point lead to Hamilton, who suffered a spate of reliability problems and opening lap crashes.
However the tide seems to have turned recently, with Hamilton closing that gap down to just nine points in two races, following his wins in Monaco and Canada – two races in which Rosberg finished just seventh and fifth respectively.
When asked by Autosport if he was surprised by the speed in which the gap has closed, he replied: "Yeah, absolutely. I could never have predicted that.
"If I'd wanted to have put money down, I'd have been a fool for trying to predict that.
"I thought Monaco – in terms of difference of position – might have been a one-off, a fluke, but the race was a very strong race [for me].
"In Canada, the start was unfortunate, and ultimately that sucks because we started one-two and finished one-five."
With nine points between them, Hamilton knows he still has his work cut out to close that further, insisting Rosberg could pull clear again, especially as the Briton has an engine penalty heading his way at some point in the season.
"Nico's going to continue to push, I'm going to continue to push – I feel great in the car for as long as it stays together, so I don't see that strength diminishing.
"I know beyond the break at some stage I'm going to have to take a sixth engine," added Hamilton. "I know I still have that joker to come along and play an integral part over a race weekend."
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