Championship leader Sebastian Vettel no longer checks the size of his points lead in case it lulls him into a false sense of security.
The Red Bull driver is 77 points ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button, but Vettel believes that not knowing the size of the gap keeps him more focused.
"To be honest I don't really think about the gap," he said. "I don't even know the gap, I think Jenson is second behind. But there is no importance in leading the championship now, the most important time is after the last race. I think we learnt that last year.
"Obviously we are in a bit of a different position right now compared to last year but it's still a very, very long way to go and a lot of points to get. I think with the points system we run today it might be tempting to feel too safe. Really I try to go race by race and step by step. The one and only thing I'm focusing on now is free practice one tomorrow and not further ahead yet."
Vettel's lead means he could skip three races and come back in the lead of the championship. But he insists the title is not yet over.
"It's a long way to go and there are more points to gain in the races we have in front of us than the races we have done. It's not even half time yet. Of course there might be a temptation [to relax], but just look at last year and how quickly things changed and how many people are fighting for the championship. Some people were excluded from the fight and then all of a sudden they were back in it."
And he does not think F1 has become boring with him dominating six of the first eight races.
"I think we've had great races so far," he said. "Obviously I can't see them live, but what I saw afterwards - if you compare it to a couple of years back - the races have been great. There was a lot of action and tension until the end."
Vettel's single finger celebrations have become a trademark of his success this year, but seems to irritate some fans. The German, however, does not see what the problem is.
"I don't know what it is with everybody with the finger thing," he exclaimed when asked if he would change. "Every single time I think it is a bit different and it's not choreographed, I don't run through it before, it's not practised. So to answer your question, no."
Laurence Edmondson is the deputy editor on ESPNF1
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