• European Grand Prix

Montreal win alters little, says Hamilton

ESPN Staff
June 16, 2012 « FIA close to agreement on cost controls | Audi wins 24 Hours of Le Mans »
Lewis Hamilton is keeping things in perspective © Sutton Images
Enlarge

Lewis Hamilton is refusing to get carried away with the title race despite his brilliant drive in Canada that put him ahead of bitter rival Fernando Alonso in the drivers' championship.

Hamilton employed an effective two stop strategy to win from Romain Grosjean in Montreal but knows it will be a tough ask to repeat the feat at the European Grand Prix in Valencia in a season that has seen seven different winners in as many races.

"My win in Montreal was obviously an extremely satisfying moment for me - but, actually, it does very little to alter things in the world championship," said Hamilton. "Firstly, while it's always pleasing to be leading the championship, I'm only two points ahead of Fernando [Alonso] - which is nothing, particularly when there are a handful of really strong drivers all separated by a couple of points, so there's still everything to play for.

"Secondly, the intensity of this year's championship means there's so little breathing space - we may have won in Canada, but there's an enormous amount of pressure to keep racking up good results at every grand prix. I think that consistency, rather than individual strong results, will be the key to winning this world championship, so we need to back it up in Valencia with another strong result.

"People are always asking me to predict what will happen at the next race and I always tell them it's really difficult to make an accurate prediction - but I'll be heading to Valencia feeling super-motivated to get another strong result and maintain my momentum before we head into Silverstone and the Santander British Grand Prix."

Team-mate Jenson Button has endured a barren run since winning the season opener in Melbourne and lies eighth in the title standings. But the 2009 world champion sees Valencia as a good opportunity to resurrect his title challenge.

"The last few races haven't delivered the results I'd like, but there are still 13 races to go," said Button. "We've had seven different winners and no clear championship leader has emerged, so I'll be looking to get a decent result under my belt next weekend in order to get my title bid back on track.

"I know just how strong Vodafone McLaren Mercedes can be. Valencia is a track I really enjoy; I've already won on a street circuit this year so I'm definitely optimistic about having a great weekend and picking up the momentum again in the title fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
ESPN Staff Close