Lewis Hamilton Vows To Step Up

Topics:  Lewis Hamilton

Anthony Fontanelle
July 12, 2007

After two wins at the two races in the North American leg of the current Formula One season, rookie sensation Lewis Hamilton is expected to perform well back in Europe for the French and British Grands Prix. Although vying for a win, the rookie pointed out to his countrymen prior to the British Grand Prix to enjoy the race no matter what the outcome may be.

At the French Grand Prix where he was eyeing a hat trick, three consecutive wins, the rookie made a mistake and finished only third behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. At the British Grand Prix on the other hand, the British Formula One rookie also finished third behind Raikkonen and teammate and double world champion Fernando Alonso.

After two third place finishes, the rookie sensation which has given Formula One more coverage in the past months vowed to step up his game. Interestingly, his teammate Alonso also vowed to step up his game prior to the French Grand Prix but then only managed to finish seventh after qualifying tenth.

“I think I need to step up my game, which I intend to do, and the team need to push as always, but to push even more. I am still learning, there is still time to find in myself. Knowing the tracks should be easier, but I have been here (Silverstone) before and I struggled all weekend in terms of pace,” said Hamilton.

To help Hamilton and Alonso fend off the resurgence of Ferrari, McLaren promised to give the two world-class drivers a faster car for the European Grand Prix, the next race of the season. The promise for a faster car came after the team’s two straight losses to Ferrari.

At the British Grand Prix, although Hamilton failed to take his third win of the season and wining it in front of his countrymen, he extended his string of rostrum finishes. The consistency of the young Formula One driver is manifested in his nine podium finishes in all his nine races so far. Hamilton still leads the drivers’ championship standings, 12 points clear of his nearest competitor, his teammate Alonso. He will be going into the European Grand Prix as a championship leader as well as in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The rookie made go on his vow after he recorded the fastest lap time at the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as Formula One teams conducted their testing at the said track. The tests are in preparation for the next round which will be held in Nurburg, Germany, the home country of McLaren’s partner, Mercedes-Benz. The German auto maker supplies the Formula One team wit its engine and other components such as racing Mercedes-Benz brake rotors, and the likes.

Martin Whitmarsh, the team’s Chief Operating Officer has this to say about their developments: “We've got new aerodynamic components and various other parts we are putting on the car. We will come out of that test with a quicker car, and Ferrari will undoubtedly improve their car. So it's down to who improves their car the most in the next fortnight.”

“I predict that we are going to see the fortunes swing either way in what's going to be a classic and exciting championship,” predicted Whitmarsh. “We've now had nine races and 16 times we've had a car on the podium. That helps. It is so tight now in performance and reliability that any of us can trip up now and that would be very significant. If just one of your cars doesn't score points, then the pendulum swings very quickly,” he concluded.

Source:  Amazines.com