Lewis Hamilton won't let anything get in his way as Mercedes man eyes world title  

• Nico Rosberg still leads the Formula One drivers' championship 
• Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton is looking to win in Singapore
• The Briton has previously allowed off-track woes to affect him  

Lewis Hamilton is working on improving his single-mindedness as he bids to improve his chances of winning this year's Formula One world title.

Hamilton, who topped the timesheet following Friday practice ahead of Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, has shown himself to be a more resilient character throughout the course of this season compared to years gone by.

The technical problems with Hamilton's Mercedes, which have put him on the back foot for the majority of this campaign, may have impacted more significantly on him in previous years.

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Lewis Hamilton is working on improving his single-mindedness as he bids to win this year's world title

Lewis Hamilton: Unbearable heat makes Singapore toughest race

However, older, wiser and more experienced, he has instead responded by taking the necessary steps to ensure his sole focus is on beating team-mate Nico Rosberg to the championship.

When it was suggested to Hamilton that he is allowing nothing to get in his way this season, he replied: 'I am working on that because that has been my Achilles heel in the past.

'It is something you cannot force. It comes with time, but it is something I've been working on for a long time.

'I am nearly 30, so bit by bit with those experiences I have had, they have helped massively.

'This year, with all the difficult scenarios I have had, what really encourages me is how I have come through them.

'Take the last race in Italy. Although I won from pole, I dropped to fourth at the start.

'To come back and fight through such a difficulty is so much more satisfying and more powerful.

'Whilst people enjoyed watching it, I get so much more from it, so those experiences have really helped me a lot.'

Hamilton, who has previously allowed off-track woes to affect him, is benefiting from a more settled personal life.

The 29-year-old's romance with on-off-on-again girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger is going through a solid phase, as is his relationship with father Anthony - who cheered on his son again at the Marina Bay Street Circuit with Hamilton's step-mother Linda.

Lewis Hamilton takes you on lap of Singapore circuit in simulator

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Nico Rosberg still leads the drivers' championship but has seen his lead cut to 22 points recently 

After watching him win in Italy to close the gap to Rosberg to 22 points in the standings, it is the first time Hamilton senior has attended races back to back for some considerable time.

'Being settled personally is always a huge part of it,' remarked Hamilton junior.

'I am getting older and managing things better, and although things can always be better and you can always try to improve, at the moment things are quite calm.

'The water is really calm on my side. It makes things a little bit easier.'

Much will depend on the reliability of his car, which has so far cost him countless points - and almost certainly the championship lead.

However, the title chaser pointed out: 'When I have made mistakes I've always recovered.

'Even when the car has had a problem, which has been the majority of the time, I have generally recovered from it.

'I feel like I have come back and maximised every race given the scenarios I've had to handle.

'I've no idea what lies ahead of me, but I am better prepared than ever in terms of having the experiences, and where I am, to handle what is to come.'

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Hamilton pointed out that when he's recovered when mistakes have been made in the past

On track, under the bright Singaporean lights, Hamilton produced a solid start to the weekend by leading the way in practice, finishing 0.133 seconds clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Rosberg, meanwhile, was down in 13th as his low-fuel qualifying run on the fast supersoft tyres was thwarted by Pastor Maldonado hitting a wall in his Lotus, bringing out the red flags.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third, three tenths of a second down on Hamilton, followed by Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari.

Sebastian Vettel, four-times champion and winner of this event for the last three years, was a remarkable fifth - 0.551secs behind Hamilton in his Red Bull.

At the end of FP1 Vettel's car suffered an engine issue which resulted in his mechanics spending all their lunch break and the majority of FP2 working to replace the system.

With 10 minutes remaining Vettel finally made it out on track on a set of supersoft tyres to push himself up the order.

Jenson Button was seventh in his McLaren, with Marussia's Max Chilton 20th and four seconds down, but with his FP2 cut short by a turbo problem that forced him to pull off track.