Wednesday 2nd July 2008
Lewis Hamilton believes he needs to rediscover the consistency of his rookie season if he is to bounce back in the battle for this year's Drivers' Championship.
Hamilton has thrown away points at three race weekends this season after mistakes in Bahrain, Canada and France, and the McLaren driver admits better performances are needed as the season reaches its midway point with this weekend's British Grand Prix.
Superb wins in Australia and Monaco have kept the 23-year-old in the title hunt, however, and he sits just 10 points shy of Championship leader Felipe Massa after eight rounds.
The Ferrari driver tops the standings on 48 points, two clear of BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica and five ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, but Hamilton believes there is everything still to play for ahead of his home race.
"There isn't one driver who's comfortably ahead; I've had a few no-scores but so also have the two Ferrari drivers," Hamilton told the official Formula One website.
"I think consistency is going to be important as we head into the second half of the season, but I'm only 10 points behind Massa and the maths is clear - you can make that up in a single race if all the cards fall in the right way.
"You can never take anything for granted. And that's why I'm still confident and focused. We've got 10 races remaining, 100 points - it's all to play for; and I'm ready for it."
Hamilton's race in France last time out was ruined by a drive-through penalty imposed for straight-lining a corner as he attempted to pass Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap.
His position in the midfield was the result of a 10-place grid penalty handed down for crashing into the back of Raikkonen in the pit lane at the previous round in Canada, and Hamilton's misery was compounded as Ferrari eased away to a one-two finish.
Ferrari are looking increasingly formidable as the European season gets into full swing, but Hamilton is adamant the Prancing Horse can be reined in at Silverstone.
"Ferrari will be strong, but not unbeatable," he continued. "We've got a great package, we've worked hard on performance in high-speed corners and I'm confident ahead of the race."
He added: "I love racing at Silverstone and look forward to the British Grand Prix for two reasons. Firstly, it's my home race and it has a special place in my heart. Secondly, it's just an amazing track. Some of the corners are incredibly fast.
"Silverstone will be one of the highlights of my year and I hope I can make it special.
"Having said that, our competitors will be trying every bit as hard as we will, and I have great respect for them."
No comments:
Post a Comment