Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Mercedes' decision to move a number of his mechanics to Nico Rosberg's car this season can have 'all sorts of psychological effects' on a driver.
Hamilton's world championship-winning team was broken up at the end of last season with five crew - including his number one mechanic - switching from his side of the garage to Rosberg's and vice-versa.
A number of factors contributed to Mercedes' call with a bid to prevent division within the team among them.
Hamilton fell 43 points behind Rosberg after he encountered a number of mechanical problems in the early races of the season before he took a 19-point lead into the summer break by virtue of winning six races from seven.
But the British driver heads into Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix - the first of six remaining races - eight points behind Rosberg after seeing the German romp to a hat-trick of straight wins. Indeed Rosberg's latest victory in Singapore marked his eighth of the season - already two more than he managed last year, and three greater than in 2014.
"The biggest effect it can have on the driver is psychologically, but that is not something I want to go into," said Hamilton when quizzed on the change of mechanics at Mercedes this year.
Asked to elaborate, he added: "It is just all-round psychologically. If something changes when it doesn't really need to be changed, it can have all sorts of effects."
Hamilton, 31, faces one of the biggest tests of his career to wrestle the championship momentum back from Rosberg after the German turned in a crushing display over his rival in Singapore.
But ahead of what could be a pivotal race in his pursuit of a fourth title, Hamilton insists he does not feel under any greater pressure now than at any other stage of his 10-year career.
"I wouldn't say it is any different to positions I have been in the past," added Hamilton. "I have had ups and downs, tough runs, good runs, and it is not particularly different to any of those. Of course, how you handle it, and how you deal with it, can be different.Time will tell how that is."
Rosberg, who was beaten to the championship at the final race in 2014 before finishing a distant second to Hamilton last year, has said throughout the season that he is not focussing on winning what would be a maiden title - and as the season enters its climax, the German says he will not change his approach.
Rosberg said: "It's not that I don't think about the championship - I'm aware of the situation, and I'm aware of the points - but I try and focus on the race weekend I have in front of me because that's been working really well for me. I want to win here in Sepang and I'm going to go for that."
Source: PA
