Nico Rosberg insists he is still in the running for the 2015 title and says he will not back down in his battle with Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg is 48 points behind his Mercedes team-mate with five races remaining, meaning Hamilton could win the championship even if he finished second to Rosberg at all the remaining rounds. But despite his slim chances, Rosberg is confident he can still mount a challenge.
"We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it's definitely not over yet," Rosberg said. "The way the whole team has performed this year - from the factories to the garage - has been just incredible and I have the car I need to get back to the top step."
Rosberg started on pole position at the last round in Japan, but lost the lead to Hamilton in the first two corners as he fell back to fourth. However, he says the positives from Suzuka give him hope for the coming races.
"Once I got back from Japan, I was able to focus on the positive elements from my weekend in Suzuka: pole position, the on-track pass on Bottas and then having the speed to undercut Vettel's Ferrari at the second pit-stop. I'm not backing down in my fight for the championship and gaining those positions back fair and square showed that."