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Lewis Hamilton says he is doing everything he can to ensure there is no repeat of the kind of close-racing between himself and Nico Rosberg that thrilled Formula 1 fans in Bahrain.

The Mercedes driver has beaten Rosberg in the last three races, but came under the most pressure in the Bahrain Grand Prix as he fought off a strong challenge from his German team-mate.

It was the stress Hamilton felt that day that made him dig deeper in the recent Chinese GP to ensure he had a more comfortable margin.

"Nico will be massively quick at every race we go to," said Hamilton about the battle between the pair of them.

"I was determined to make sure that in China we were not close, like we were at the last race [in Bahrain]. It was definitely feeling a bit more like it was in Malaysia.

"I am going to keep on working and keep with the approach I have, because it is working perfectly for me."

Don't slam Mercedes if it all goes wrong

Although Hamilton has beaten Rosberg recently, he does not believe he has yet got the measure of his team-mate, especially because the German is still ahead in the points' standings.

"He is still leading the championship, isn't he?" he explained. "In sports, it is all a psychological game.

"So of course, getting good results you cannot measure what effect that has on people. But I know how positive it is on me."

Hamilton has reason to feel that Rosberg is not his only potential title challenger, because he does not feel Mercedes' advantage is as great as some believe.

"There are so many races to go, so you cannot predict what is going to happen," he said. "Ferrari took a big step [in China].

"They are not the same pace as us, but to go from 10th [in Bahrain] to be third is quite impressive.

"Renault will also improve their engine for next race. We cannot stand still. We have to keep improving, and I am sure we will."