Hamilton pleased with McLaren improvements since Valencia
Saturday, 06 Sep 2008 17:15
Hamilton is pleased with McLaren's progress in the last two weeks
Lewis Hamilton is delighted with the improvements the McLaren team have made since the European grand prix at Valencia two weeks ago.
At that race Ferrari's Felipe Massa dominated proceedings. Despite suffering from neck and head problems Hamilton finished second on that occasion but is aiming to go one better at Spa.
Having clinched pole position for tomorrow's race in Belgium the Briton said his preparation had helped him leapfrog the Brazilian.
"After Valencia we knew we had to improve and that's what we did," said Hamilton. "Today's outcome is also a result of this great preparation and I felt very comfortable when we came here."
The 23-year-old was pleased with his performance in qualifying which he claimed was almost faultless and is now confident is heading into the race.
He said: "At the beginning of my first lap, I locked up my right front wheel for a moment, but afterwards I didn't make any mistakes. I'm confident for tomorrow's race."
Massa, who trails Hamilton by six points in the drivers' championship standings, hopes his performance in the race will be stronger than qualifying.
The Brazilian was 0.3 seconds slower than Hamilton on Saturday but believes he can still win the race from second on the grid.
He said: "I did a great lap, but it was not enough to be on pole position. Today, we lacked a bit of speed compared to our main rivals but the race is very long and, over a distance, we know we can be very competitive and therefore we are capable of fighting for the win."
Massa's team-mate, defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen was left hoping for intervention from the weather to help his cause on Sunday after finishing in fourth place for the start of the race.
He said: "We know we have a good potential, especially in race trim. The weather will however be a key factor and we will have to try and assess it as well as possible."