• Turkish Grand Prix

McLaren 'back in its element'

Lewis Hamilton says Istanbul will suit his McLaren's characteristics © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Turkish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
• |
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton says his McLaren team will be 'back in its element' when Formula One returns to action for next weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton endured a frustrating Monaco Grand Prix, finishing well adrift of the Red Bulls in fifth. But he hopes that the high-speed characteristics of the Istanbul Park circuit will provide a change in fortune.

"I'm looking forward to Turkey. I think we came away from Monaco with a respectable result, but the MP4-25 wasn't particularly well suited to a tight and bumpy track like that," said Hamilton. "At a place like Istanbul Park, our car will be back in its element. It loves smooth, fast circuits, where the aero can really work over the car through the long, fast corners. It should feel fantastic to drive.

"So, looking at the characteristics of the track, it's a place where we should be able to pick up from where we left off in Spain. We're not under any illusions, but we think we'll be able to get another decent result and we're hopeful of taking the fight to the cars at the front. I've had some good races in Turkey, but I've never won the race, so it would be fantastic to open my 2010 account with a victory there."

Team-mate Jenson Button, who retired with a cooked engine in Monaco, echoed Hamilton's optimism ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix weekend.

"We've got some new upgrades for this race, which I think underlines the strength of our development push," said Button. "We should be particularly well suited to Turkey, and I think we've got a good chance of going well there."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.