Lewis Hamilton believes he is Formula One's "fighting force" as an enthralling title tussle now heads into the home stretch.
Hamilton was denied a potential Italian Grand Prix win on Sunday by a poor call on the weather from his McLaren strategists following a stunning first half of the wet race at Monza.
Instead, the 23-year-old claimed seventh, still a creditable result after starting from a miserable 15th on the grid due to making the wrong choice on tyres in qualifying.
That mistake resulted in an all-out charge from Hamilton, despite the miserable conditions, that led to him riding in second when he made his first pit stop.
The likes of reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen and BMW Sauber drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were all left in Hamilton's wake as one overtaking move followed another.
The 23-year-old feels he proved he is up for the fight, and with four races remaining, he still has a one-point lead over Ferrari driver Felipe Massa who could only finish sixth from the same grid spot.
"The result was the best we could have hoped for, but it could have been a lot worse," said Hamilton.
"We could have come away with no points and been second in the championship, so to see only a few people in front of me is not so bad, and I feel positive.
"I went forward, no-one overtook me, which is always a nice thing coming out of a race. But then I very rarely do get overtaken.
"But at Monza I showed maturity and that I am a fighting force as well."
Hamilton will need to box clever when he puts his case forward to the FIA International Court of Appeal on Monday when they examine the team's case against his punishment in Belgium nine days ago.
Hamilton was handed a 25-second drive-through penalty for cutting a corner and gaining an advantage on then leader Raikkonen after the race had finished.
The verdict from the stewards led to him being demoted from winner to third, prompting a McLaren protest that will be heard in Paris at the FIA's headquarters on the Place de la Concorde.
Despite the hearing at the start of the week, when Hamilton will be preparing for F1's first night race in Singapore, he is adamant he will not be affected.
"I'm not really thinking about Paris," insisted Hamilton.
"As I've said before, I feel like I won that race, so I've not even bothered to think about it.
"What happened, happened, and I'll move on whatever the result, and then I'll focus on getting more points in the next few races.
"I'll continue to prove that. There's nothing that can put me off or bring me down.
"I certainly don't see it as a distraction, not at all. I'll leave (for Singapore) on that day, so it shouldn't be a problem at all."
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