Nico Rosberg is determined to secure his first F1 title with a victory at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, despite only needing a podium finish on Sunday to be crowned champion.
Rosberg heads to the final round of the season with a 12-point advantage over Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, meaning the title is essentially in his hands. As long as he finishes third or higher in the dominant Mercedes he will be crowned champion, but Rosberg insists he is targeting victory.
"It feels great to be in the World Championship battle with Lewis for a third year in a row," he said. "I will give it everything to end the season with a win. I've had a great week, relaxing and catching up with my family and friends, so I feel like I'm in a good place.
"In Brazil, after the race, I was joking that I would still be taking things one race at a time. But, the more I think about it, the more that's actually not as crazy as it sounds. I have to treat this like any other race."
Rosberg won in Abu Dhabi last year, but only after Hamilton had secure the championship three rounds earlier. The Yas Marina Circuit was also the scene of Hamilton's 2014 title victory when Rosberg struggled to 14th place due to a failure of his car's energy recovery system.
"Doing a good job on a grand prix weekend is always a challenge. Nothing in this sport is easy, so this won't be any different and I still have to go all out for a good result.
"I have great memories from winning at this track last year and it's somewhere I've usually been strong in the past, so I have every reason to feel confident. The closer it gets, the more I'm feeling excited. It will be a big battle and hopefully the fans will get a great show to end the year."