The war with the world faded as Lewis Hamilton played the magnanimous sportsman again, vowing to take defeat "like a man" should he lose to Nico Rosberg in this year's championship. After a weekend spent picking fights at the last race in Japan, Hamilton arrived in the US [Austin] late this week a different character, as can sometimes be his personality.Gone were his objections to the media, his complaints about "disrespectful" reporting, and in its place someone who increasingly seems to have come to terms with the fact his chances of retaining the title this year are slim.Hamilton trails Rosberg, his Mercedes teammate, by 33 points with only four races remaining, starting today at the Circuit of the Americas.story_article_left1Four wins will not guarantee a fourth title. He needs Rosberg to slip up, unlikely on current form.Across a season Hamilton has never lost to Rosberg, winning the title for the past two years. But he has to confront it for the first time."I will try to take it like a man if Nico wins the championship," Hamilton said. "You can't win them all."Look at all the world champions in the past that have won championships and lost championships."It is part of the game. I am in the position right now where there are still a lot of points available so I will give it everything I have got, and still have the belief that anything is possible."Then I will move on, once it has decided, and it has happened all I can do is shape the future which is the next year."Hamilton indicated he would not take a sabbatical should the season go Rosberg's way.The 31-year-old has endured a fraught few weeks. His engine blew while leading in Malaysia, prompting some incendiary remarks towards Mercedes, before he became locked in a row with the media in Japan and lost more ground to Rosberg in the championship.But in Austin, two weeks on from spending the press conference in Suzuka on his phone, he was a model of politeness.Half an hour before the session he spoke to Mercedes' head of communications in the team's hospitality unit, clearly a useful pep talk.He welcomed journalists, thanked people for their questions and answered at length. He even put his phone on the floor at the start of the session. Hamilton even remained calm when asked why he has blocked several journalists on Twitter.He claimed it is because he does not manage his own social media, a strange thing for a sportsman who places huge emphasis on engaging with fans online. The three-time champion even said he does not have Twitter on his phone.story_article_right2"I don't actually manage every single part of my own social media," he said. "I have a couple of people that do. My general approach is if you see someone talking smack, cut it."I don't know who had been blocked. I don't have a lot of time to go online and do that. I think it's a lot of people, not just media. It was a blocking spree. But I don't even have the Twitter app on my phone."While Hamilton underwent something of an implosion during Japan, Rosberg has continued utterly level.Dismissing that idea that Hamilton was in "meltdown", praising his teammate's work ethic, should be seen as part of that strategy.Rosberg knows his best chance of beating Hamilton has always been to perform consistently and wait for his rival to fade.When his form dips, as after their crash in Spain, Rosberg is demolished.It is only when he is consistent and Hamilton struggles, or starts asking questions of himself, that Rosberg is clearly in front.The biggest test for Rosberg comes nowThe German has shown resilience beyond what many thought was possible, fighting back from a losing position. But with the championship in his grasp, the pressure will never be higher.He is in unchartered territory.Renault give Hulkenberg his final chanceAsk any fan of Formula 1 who they think should drive for Ferrari instead of Kimi Raikkonen - or any of the top teams for that matter - and they will go for Nico Hulkenberg. His reputation does not really match his results.It can be hard to understand why people rave about the German quite so much. After all, he was not Renault's first choice - Sergio Perez was.But this is a shrewd move by both sides. Hulkenberg finally gets to drive for a manufacturer team, who may be in a good position to fight for podiums and victories a few years down the track. Realistically it is hard to imagine Force India being higher than fourth in the constructors' championship.And for Renault, they get an experienced, fast driver. If it doesn't work out and Hulkenberg does not set the world alight, then perhaps finally people will rate him for what he has been so far: solid, fast, but unspectacular.-The Daily Telegraph, London..