• Spanish Grand Prix

Hamilton targets quali boost

Lewis Hamilton knows he must improve his one-lap pace © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Spanish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton says he must do better in qualifying if he is to have any chance of winning the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton lies fourth in the drivers' standings, 11 points behind McLaren team-mate Jenson Button although he has arguably displayed better race pace, having made a remarkable 32 overtaking manoeuvres in comparison to Button's seven.

But his one-lap qualifying performances have left a lot to be desired and Button's better decision making on tyre choice has made the difference.

"As we did in China, we'll be putting additional emphasis on qualifying," said Hamilton. "It will be more important than ever in Barcelona as traditionally it's always been a track where overtaking is very difficult. Given that most cars will only be stopping once, we have less scope for passing, so a good grid position will be vital."

Although many are looking at Red Bull as the team to beat in Spain, Hamilton thinks that the developments McLaren have worked on over the past few weeks will make it a close contest.

"We've got a couple of fairly significant upgrades coming for this race. While it would be naive to think these will move us up the pecking order, because almost all the teams produce a major bodywork update for Barcelona, we're optimistic they'll again help us to bridge the gap to the leading cars.

"Of course, we've proved in the past we've been both extremely capable and prolific at adding performance to the car across the course of the season, so I'm hopeful we're heading into Barcelona in good shape."

Despite his optimism, Hamilton added that a rain interrupted weekend would give McLaren its best chance of victory.

"But if it's a dry race, then realistically I think it's going to be harder for us to be up at the front."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.