Hamilton still 'trying to find balance'

Lewis Hamilton had only minor complaints about his first day of running in Canada, confident he can get his MP4-26 dialled in ahead of qualifying

Hamilton finished fourth quickest in Friday's second practice, clocking a 1:15.977, which put him just 0.870s behind Fernando Alonso.

However, it wasn't a perfect day for the McLaren driver, who suffered a puncture and also struggled to his car dialled in.

But despite those small issues, Hamilton is confident McLaren have the race-pace needed to fight at the front of the pack in Montreal.

"It was a very good session and a positive day for me. In P2, I think some debris from one of the incidents must have caused my puncture because I'd only just left the pits when I suddenly felt the rear sliding about," said the 26-year-old

"Nevertheless, we got through a lot of test components. I'm still trying to find the exact balance I need, and I'm not quite sure which direction I want to follow with my car, so I'll sit down with my engineers to analyse the data this evening.

"Our long-run pace is pretty good; the speed is there. It looks very close once again between Red Bull, Ferrari and ourselves, so we'll work on qualifying, get the car nicely dialled in and then I'll keep my fingers crossed."

Friday's running was marred by four accidents, three of which resulted in red flags. However, as Hamilton put it, that's the nature of Montreal, it leaves no room for error.

"It's surprising to see so many incidents here, but it's such a demanding and slippery circuit that I guess some people just got caught out today. We're all testing the limits of our cars and you can't blame people for trying.

"There's no room for mistakes around a place like this and, unfortunately, some people paid the price today - but they'll bounce back tomorrow."

Source: Planet-F1

Lewis Hamilton eyes strong result

Lewis Hamilton is relishing being amongst friends this weekend as he escapes the animosity that followed his on-and-off-track Monaco madness

Hamilton was forced to make a handful of apologies in the wake of his contentious sixth-placed finish in the principality 10 days ago.

Initially Hamilton "made peace" with the four-man panel of stewards after suggesting, via an apparent joke that badly backfired, that his skin colour lay at the heart of their decision making.

The 26-year-old vented his frustration against the stewards after being penalised three times over the course of the weekend, and five times in six races this year.

Hamilton was given drive-through penalties - one retrospectively - for causing a collision with first Felipe Massa in his Ferrari and then Williams' Pastor Maldonado, the latter at a time when he was on course to score his first points for the team.

The McLaren star described the Brazilian and Venezuelan as "ridiculous" during his post-race outburst, later apologising to both men via his Twitter account on which he had also been abused in the aftermath of what unfolded.

Hamilton has already made it clear a victory in one of his favourite races, the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, will help put the stigma of what happened in and after Monte Carlo behind him.

Aiming for a third win in five races at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Hamilton said: "Montreal is a very special place for me.

"It's where I took my first Formula One pole position and won my first race. I also won there last year from pole.

"I've always got on really well with the track as the layout seems to suit my driving style.

"Perhaps even more importantly the fans in Montreal, and everyone in North America who makes the trip to the city, are some of the best in the world.

"They are so positive, supportive and friendly. My trips to the city have been some of my favourite experiences in Formula One.

"I'm massively looking forward to arriving in Montreal to a friendly welcome."

With Hamilton currently 58 points adrift of reigning Champion and current leader Sebastian Vettel, he knows a third Canadian win is a must this weekend.

"Our car should be well suited to this track," said Hamilton, who led a McLaren one-two with Jenson Button a year ago.

"We have a great engine, the best KERS (power boost) system in the sport and excellent traction out of slow corners.

"All in all it's set to be another good weekend for us. I'll be looking for a strong result on Sunday."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton apologies to Massa, Maldonado

Lewis Hamilton had apologised to Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado for remarks made following their accidents in Monaco

The McLaren driver had previously criticised the pair, calling his rivals "ridiculous" and adding that the duo closed the door on him when he felt he already had his nose in front.

However, the Briton has taken to Twitter to express his regret at the situation.

"To Massa and Maldonado, with the greatest respect I apologise if I offended you. Both of you are fantastic drivers who I regard highly," he wrote.

Hamilton also apologized to his fans and anyone who may have been offended by comments that he made, with an attempt at a joke made by the 26-year-old regarding being penalised for his skin colour garnering widespread criticism.

"Hey guys. I wanted to apologise for last weekend's performance and also my comments after, I never meant to offend no one," he said.

"To my fans lost and my fans won, I wish you nothing but love and happiness. God Bless you. Onwards and upwards, Montreal next. Lewis," he added.

Source: Planet-F1

Video: BBC - Lewis Hamilton fuming after Monaco 'weekend to forget'

Lewis Hamilton is furious after being called to the stewards about two incidents in the Monaco Grand Prix



Source: FiftyBuckss

Lewis Hamilton claims Toro Rosso drivers hindered him at Barcelona

Lewis Hamilton has accused Toro Rosso – Red Bull's sister team of slowing him down as he pursued Sebastian Vettel in the closing laps of last Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Both Toro Rosso drivers, Jaime Alguersuari and Sébastien Buemi, deliberately held up Hamilton, according to the McLaren driver, who said: "They let him [Vettel] past and then they held me up for the next couple of corners. That wasn't cool. I'm surprised it happened. I have mentioned it to my team so it is for them to approach the FIA to make sure the stewards are aware of it.

"That kind of thing shouldn't happen because they are not really supposed to be a sister team are they? Often some of these backmarkers, in particular Toro Rosso, would assist with increasing the gap between us, which is interesting."

Hamilton, who had to make do with second place as he watched Vettel extend his lead in the world championship to 41 points, added: "Definitely in the last race there was some of that, all of a sudden moving in my way, causing a bigger gap.

"But it was a perfect situation for Sebastian to make sure he was let through and I wasn't. If that continues to happen then some penalties should be handed out. I just hope the stewards are wary of it, and I'm sure they'll do a great job."

Toro Rosso, which is Italian for "Red Bull", is regarded as a feeder team, developing promising young drivers for the senior outfit. As with Red Bull, they are backed by the billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz.

But Hamilton's complaint was dismissed by Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, who said: "Believe me, Toro Rosso drivers have often had that complaint from our own drivers as well. You only have to look at last year's race in Abu Dhabi to see what happened with Mark Webber, so absolutely not, there's no discussion between the teams.

"They operate totally independently. There are no tactics to help one or the other."

Horner was backed up by a spokesman from Toro Rosso, who said: "When it became the rule, prior to last season, that you weren't allowed to share any technical knowledge, all co-operation ceased.

"So the suggestion we would have held up any other car to favour a Red Bull is preposterous, and would never have happened."

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial rights holder, is still hopeful that the Bahrain Grand Prix, which should have opened the season in March, can be rescheduled at the end of the year.

The World Motor Sport Council is due to give its decision on the Bahrain race on 3 June, two days after a state of emergency is lifted around the Gulf kingdom.

Ecclestone met the teams in the paddock here and said: "The Crown Prince hopes everything will be fine. You know he is supportive. They are nice people there. I don't think we will have any problem.

"It's just a case of if somebody wants to get a bit of attention that would probably be a good way to do it. But I don't think from a safety point of view there is anything to worry about."

Fernando Alonso finished fastest in Thursday afternoon's practice session, ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was quickest in the slower morning run, ahead of Alonso.

Source: The Guardian

Video: BBC F1 2011 - Lewis Hamilton bullish about his chances in Monaco Grand Prix

McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton believes this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix is his "best chance so far" of getting ahead of Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, as "a driver can make more of a difference" around the principality's circuit than on other tracks



Source: FiftyBuckss

Video: BBC - Spanish GP- McLaren's Lewis Hamilton shrugs off yellow flag inquiry

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton says he will have to deal with whatever punishment the stewards may impose, after a satisfying runners-up spot in the Spanish Grand Prix



Source: FiftyBuckss

Hamilton: Not a disappointing result

Despite losing the Spanish GP by less than seven tenths of a second, Lewis Hamilton insists he's not disappointed

With everyone expecting the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber to romp away to a 1-2 in Spain, the race was turned on its head when Fernando Alonso took the lead.

But it was all change after the second round of pit stops when Vettel and Hamilton emerged in first and second places.

And although the McLaren driver did his utmost to take the lead away from the reigning World Champ, it was not to be.

"I don't think we can be disappointed with today," said Hamilton, who had only words of praise for his McLaren team.

"The team did a fantastic job throughout the pit stops and throughout the weekend, they put us in a fighting position.

"We got the best start and were able to keep up with the Red Bulls and Mark (Webber) in particular as Fernando (Alonso) was holding the Red Bulls up.

"As the race went on we had some serious pace but it was very tough to get past Seb at the end, they were massively quick in high speed corners and in the last corner his downforce was incredibly clear.

"Nonetheless I gave my all and to move forward and score some good points and retain second place is great."

The latter stage of the grand prix saw an intense fight between Vettel and Hamilton with the McLaren driver dogging the German lap after lap.

However, the Brit concedes that even though McLaren have improved their car, the Red Bull is still the quicker of the two.

"We did a great job considering their car is a good step faster than ours," he said.

"Our race pace has improved since last race, that was the positive.

"I wasn't able to follow through high speed Turn 3, obviously Turn 9 and the last corner, I was never able to get close enough to maintain the gap and then able to use the DRS.

"But I am very happy with the job both me and Jenson did and to be able to apply pressure to Red Bull considering the circumstances is good."

Source: Planet-F1

Hamilton: Bulls are unbeatable

Such is Red Bull's pace that Lewis Hamilton says the only chance he has of beating them is if he can use the older faster part of the Barcelona circuit

Hamilton qualified in third place for the Spanish Grand Prix but found himself a second off the pace of the leading Red Bull of Mark Webber.

And although he expects that the gap will be less in race-pace, the McLaren driver concedes that beating the Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon may be a step too far.

"The old circuit is still there at the last two corners, I could use the (old, faster) last two corners to match their pace if I don't take the chicane... otherwise, no!" he joked.

"They have one second in qualifying, probably a second and a bit. But we will push as hard as we can, and push to save tyres in the run.

"We've been closer in previous races. I think we will be closer than one second (in race pace), but whether it is within a tenth or so we will see."

The Brit, though, is not letting Red Bull's clear advantage get him down.

"F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, nothing comes easy. They have just done a better job. We are second quickest, we can't complain too much.

"I hope at some stage we have a significant improvement with the car so we have a proper race with these guys."

As for concerns that the flat-spot he suffered during qualifying when he made a mistake at the entry to Turn 10, Hamilton is confident it won't bother him.

"I don't think it will," he said when asked if the flat-spot would cause him problems.

"I mean I do have a flat spot but fortunately I can start on those tyres and we can rebalance the wheels, so it shouldn't be a problem for the race."

Source: Planet-F1

Lewis Hamilton: Button is my best team-mate

Lewis Hamilton insists Jenson Button is the best team-mate he has had in Formula One

The McLaren duo are contesting their second season together, against the backdrop of suggestions last year they do not get on.

But Hamilton, 26, put that one to rest by confirming he rates 2009 world champion Button the bee's knees.

Hamilton, gunning for his second victory of 2011 in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, said: "To be a good driver, it's not only about speed.

"It's about your presence in the team, the comments you make, your persona and your behaviour when you win and when you lose. Jenson is definitely the best overall package I've been up against."

Hamilton trails Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in the world championship by 34 points. Button is another 13 points behind, in fourth place behind Vettel's partner Mark Webber.

The Red Bull drivers have had their in-house rows but remain a huge obstacle to Hamilton as he seeks to add to his 2008 world crown.

Hamilton admitted: "I have to beat Red Bull. They have the best car.

"The last time I drove at Barcelona, during winter testing, the car had no grip. I've downforce now and I'll be more competitive in the race."

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have transformed the performance of their MP4-26 car in recent weeks.

The team completed fewer laps in winter testing than anyone else due to reliability problems. But Hamilton and Button have finished every race this year.

Hamilton also expects a close battle with local hero Fernando Alonso.

The double world champion finished one place ahead of the Brit in Turkey last time out and the Ferrari star will have the crowd's support in his home race.

Hamilton said: "There's mutual respect between us. He has some serious talent. He's very, very quick but not impossible to beat. No one is."

The McLaren duo will be boosted by more than 10 new upgrades this weekend.

McLaren's engineering director Tim Goss said: "We have about 10-12 upgrades, some of which will be recognisable from the outside and some that will not be."

Vodafone UK is giving all its customers the chance to be at some of Britain's best events, including exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of the McLaren Technology Centre and the chance to win tickets to the 2011 Formula One Santander British Grand Prix.

Source: The Sun

Q&A with Lewis Hamilton after Istanbul

"Things didn’t really come together in the race"

Fourth place in Turkey was a pretty satisfying result at the end of a somewhat unsatisfying weekend, wasn’t it?

“Yeah, I think it was a realistic result. I think that, if everything had come together, then we might have been able to get onto the podium. I think we had the pace but things didn’t really come together in the race: I had a bit of a scrappy start and then lost ground to the leaders, so fourth was pretty satisfactory. It could’ve been worse.

“And I think Sunday showed how close it is among the top teams: we saw at the weekend how strong Mercedes GP and Ferrari can be when they have a clear run at a weekend. But we also know that we didn’t really get the maximum from the package we expected to run in Turkey. As always, we’re fighting to bring lots of new parts to the track, and it isn’t always possible to run them either from a performance or reliability point of view.

“Even before first practice, we knew we were going to have to scale back our ambitions on the development front for this particular race. Of course, that’s disappointing but you have to look at the bigger picture: the championship will be won through consistency, so it’s better to score points with a decent result than risk a non-finish through a reliability failure despite having greater performance.”

You had a great tussle with Jenson out on the track did that bring back memories of last year?

“Only in the sense that it was a fair fight. We respect each other both as drivers and people; and I know that, when I’m racing Jenson, it’ll always be clean and fair he’s a driver you can really depend on in a close situation.

“It was good to have a little battle with him – but last year, too, it was for first position; this year, we were only fighting for the minor placings so it wasn’t as much fun. Still, I enjoy racing with KERS Hybrid and DRS it makes it more entertaining for the drivers and the fans. I think anything that makes the racing more exciting should be applauded and we’ve definitely had four interesting races so far this year.

“Sure, you don’t always win – and sometimes the system actually works against you, because it can make you vulnerable when you’re the car in front but, in general, I like the new rule-changes this year.”

There now look to be four teams in with a shot at winning races does that make your job harder?

“At the start of the season, we certainly expected Ferrari and Mercedes GP to be competitive – and, even when they couldn’t quite deliver on their winter testing performance in the first three races, we knew it was only a matter of time before they got back into their stride. So seeing their pace at Turkey wasn’t a surprise it was actually more of a surprise that they hadn’t shown it since the start of the season.

“Having more teams in the fight works both ways – it makes it harder to score good points if you’ve got lots of other drivers taking points off each other, but on the flipside, it should make it harder for anyone to decisively pull ahead in the points table which was something we saw last year.

“It didn’t work out for us in Turkey but I’m already looking ahead to Barcelona – it’s a circuit where I’ve never won, so it would be a great boost for the team if we can get a great result there next week.”

Source: NextgenAuto

Video: Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton Interview at the National Movie Awards 2011

New X-Factor USA host Nicole Scherzinger, and her Formula 1 ace boyfriend Lewis Hamilton chat with Adrian Hieatt from Absolute Radio about how very proud they are of each other, Cheryl Cole's American adventure, and the 2011 F1 season....



Source: ABSOLUTERADIO

Video: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button join David Cameron at Downing Street for safety drive

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button join David Cameron at Downing Street to launch the UN's Decade of Action for Road Safety



Source: ITNSports

SEBASTIAN VETTEL'S IN SCHUMACHER CLASS

Lewis Hamilton paid Sebastian Vettel the ultimate compliment yesterday by comparing him to seven-times world champ Michael Schumacher at his best

Sebastian Vettel tightened his stranglehold on this year’s championship on Sunday when he won his third race in four starts with victory in Turkey.

He has a 34-point gap on Hamilton, with McLaren team-mate Jenson Button 47 points adrift.

Hamilton won the previous race in China, but was 40 seconds behind Vettel in Istanbul and said:

“Thirty-four points is a very big gap at the moment. He was cruising in Turkey. I’ve got to be on the ragged edge to try and get every little step I can.

“It’s very similar to when Schumacher was dominating. Now Sebastian is dominating – pole position at all four races this season, and he’s nearly won all four.”

With Vettel scoring 93 points from a possible 100, and given the resources available to Red Bull, there is already talk the championship could be over by mid-summer.

But Hamilton added: “I don’t have a fear that will happen, but it is possible. But it is also possible we could catch up and overtake them.”

Source: Daily Star

Video: Start to blame for fourth in Turkey - Lewis Hamilton

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton says too much front wing at the start of the race was the reason he could only finish fourth at the Turkish Grand Prix



Source: FiftyBuckss

Lewis Hamilton: Start cost me second place

Lewis Hamilton believes he would have been in the fight for second place at the Turkish Grand Prix had he not lost out at the start to Mark Webber in turn three.

Hamilton made a reasonable start from the dirty side of the grid and attempted to pass Webber ahead of him out of the first sequence of corners. However, he got stuck on the outside of the Red Bull and lost traction, putting him behind Fernando Alonso and team-mate Jenson Button.

"I had a good start and probably should have been up to third at the start of the race," he told the BBC. "I could have been battling for second in this race but we came out in fourth in the end."

His tyres then started to degrade more quickly than the cars around him as he tried to fight back past his team-mate Jenson Button, setting up one of the closest battles of the race.

"I had such great pace and in actual fact I had too much front wing on the car to start off with and that was one of the reasons I struggled to look after the rear tyres, because it's better to drive a car with a bit of understeer and I had too much front end," he said. "Obviously when I was trying to get past Jenson I had so much pace, but by the time I did get past I had nothing left in my tyres and that pushed me into a four stopper. But considering we had a bad pit stop as well we did well to get back up to fourth place. But the battle was good and Jenson was fair all the way through it - we look forward to the next race."

Source: ESPNF1

Hamilton: Not pole but better than nothing

Lewis Hamilton is adamant he's "in the fight" for the Turkish GP victory after qualifying in fourth place for Sunday's race

The McLaren driver, the winner of the last grand prix in China, was one of the favourites to at least secure a spot on the front row of the Istanbul grid.

However, he had no answer to the pace of the Red Bulls while Nico Rosberg also put his resurgent Mercedes GP ahead of the McLaren driver.

"It's not pole position but it's better than nothing," Hamilton told the BBC.

"We're starting on the dirty side, but we're in the fight.

"We're not far away but now you see the Mercedes have picked up their pace and also the Ferraris have.

"I'm looking forward to a strong race. It's a long one here but there are chances to overtake and it should be good."

The one thing, though, that Hamilton doesn't have which aided his climb to the top step of the podium in China is an extra set of the softer option tyres.

And that, he admits, could cost him this Sunday.

"We don't have an extra set, we went out, whether that was right or not I don't know."

Source: Planet-F1

Lewis Hamilton and NASCAR star Tony Stewart to drive each other’s cars

Racing champions from either side of the Atlantic will get a taste of each other’s world when 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and double NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart take part in the Mobil 1 Car Swap at Watkins Glen International circuit on June 14.

Hamilton will be behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala NASCAR stock car, while Stewart will try out the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 Formula 1 car.

“I spend a lot of time in race cars, but this will be the first time I’ve been at the wheel of a NASCAR stock car, in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet,” said Hamilton. “Tony and I will have some fun with the swap and make sure we put on a good show. American race fans are massively enthusiastic about motorsports, so I hope to see a lot of them down at The Glen to see it firsthand. It’s a racers circuit and will give us both the chance to understand the differences between the two styles of racing at this legendary track. Watkins Glen also has a particular connection to the team, as it is where McLaren won our first Drivers’ and Constructors’ world championship in 1974 with Emerson Fittipaldi; I’m looking forward to getting back there with the latest generation of McLaren’s machines!”

“When you’ve been around competitive racing for as long as I have, you really look forward to new experiences,” added Stewart. “This car swap with Lewis is definitely one of those opportunities. I already have quite a bit of respect for what Lewis and the F1 drivers and teams do, so to experience laps in the cockpit of a F1 car and see what Lewis can do in the Cup car is something I am really excited about.”

“We’re incredibly excited to bring together two champions for their first experiences in the other driver’s car,” said Mobil 1 global brand manager Rebecca K. Aldred. “Though the cars they drive are very different, the competitive spirit that Tony, Lewis and their respective teams share is indistinguishable, as is their team’s reliance on Mobil 1 lubricant technology.”

Although ExxonMobil began its successful partnership with McLaren in 1995 through its Mobil 1 synthetic lubricant brand, its relationship with the Stewart-Haas Racing team is new. This year marks the debut season in which Mobil 1 is the co-primary sponsor for the team’s No. 14 car.

Source: NextgenAuto

Video: Red Bull not invincible, says McLaren's Lewis Hamilton

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton admits that the Red Bull is still half a second quicker than his car but says it is not impossible to catch them, as he proved by winning the last race in China



Source: FiftyBuckss

Hamilton: Tyre wear not that dramatic

Lewis Hamilton says tyre wear around the Istanbul Park is not as bad as many drivers initially feared it would be

Prior to the Turkish GP, Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembrey stated that it could be the worst race for the Italian manufacturer as they were expecting high wear.

However, Friday's cooler temperatures, which saw rain in opening practice and a maximum of just 22 degrees in the afternoon session, meant the wear was not nearly as bad as predicted.

And with temperatures expected to remain low with more rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday, Hamilton is predicting just three, or even as few as two, stops in Sunday's grand prix.

"Quite surprised that they felt very similar to the last race," the McLaren driver told Autosport.

"I thought they'd be a lot worse here, but the long run was probably one of the best practice long runs I've ever had, so it was really good.

"I expect something similar to Shanghai, definitely. Two or three stops, no more than that."

Source: Planet-F1