LONDON • Lewis Hamilton has conceded that he has "no idea" whether he will be able to wrestle the Formula One championship momentum back from his sole title rival Nico Rosberg.

The Briton will head into Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix - the first of six remaining races - eight points behind his Mercedes team-mate after seeing the German romp to a hat-trick of victories following the summer break.

"I have no idea if the momentum will swing back to me or when it might," said Hamilton yesterday.

"But we still have six races left, so I just have to keep giving it my all and hope for the best.

"It's going to take some good results to get back in front and stay there - but I've had plenty of those in the past, so there's no reason to think they won't come back to me again."

Rosberg was soundly beaten to the title last year, but his recent good run will provide him with the belief that he could finally beat Hamilton and win his maiden championship this year.

"I've had a good run lately and I'm enjoying the moment, but as far as the next race goes, it's anyone's game," he said.

Malaysia was one of only three races that Mercedes did not win last year, Sebastian Vettel taking his first victory for Ferrari thanks to a better strategy and tyre usage.

"This was a race where we underperformed last year, so we will need to push hard to put that right," said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

"We can guarantee that the drivers will be doing just that. This year, we've seen that they are pushing each other to new heights."

THE GUARDIAN