Lewis Hamilton insists he has no intention of backing up teammate Nico Rosberg on Sunday to help him win the championship.
Hamilton goes into the final race of the season with a 12 point deficit to Rosberg, a victory may still not be enough to overturn the current points standings.
The two drivers have each won at the Yas Marina circuit the last two years, Rosberg has taken pole on both those occasions.
Although main focus is on the championship, Hamilton says he wants to make up for two lacklustre qualifying sessions in Abu Dhabi on previous visits.
“Nico has been on pole here for the last two years here, he has been very quick,” he said in Thursday’s press conference.
“This has been a relatively strong circuit for me, but [I was] not delivering the last two years, so my sole goal is to do so.
“In terms of tactics in the race, that has to come on Sunday, that has never been my thought process. If I am out ahead, I want to be as far ahead as possible.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believed it would be a ‘smart’ move for Hamilton to push Rosberg back into the chasing pack; the world champion, however, responded by stating it wouldn’t be a “wise” choice.
“When you have a 18-30 seconds’ lead, that is as painful a blow as you can give to the guy you are fighting,” the Briton added.
“If you look at last race [Brazil] with no red flag, I would be 30 seconds ahead. That is more of an achievement than backing up your teammate.
“While here it sounds like it makes sense, it is not very practical to do. You have two long DRS zones, it wouldn’t be easy or wise to do so.”
