Formula 1: Hamilton Aims To Hit Back At Every Race
May 08, 2008
McLaren
After cantering to victory in the season-opening Australian GP, Hamilton and McLaren have struggled to match Ferrari. The Englishman is nine points adrift of world champion Kimi Raikkonen in the title race, but admits he is savouring his role as the underdog.
“When you are leading the championship, as I was last year, it’s a matter of keeping your momentum,” Hamilton said. “But chasing means you are constantly trying to go one better. It’s a real challenge - hard work, but more fun.”
History suggests Hamilton faces an onerous task this weekend. Raikkonen and his Ferrari team-mate, Felipe Massa, are the only drivers to have won the Turkish GP, although the Finn did so as a McLaren driver in 2005, the first time the race was run.
“Ferrari have done a very good job recently,” Hamilton said. “But things remain incredibly tight. There are only a couple of tenths between the leading cars, and there are still another 14 events. There’s a huge way to go, so you can’t tell what’s going to happen.
“I am obviously looking forward to the two races after this, in Monaco and Montreal, because they are among my favourite tracks and I’m pretty sure I’ll be strongest there. But I’m aiming to hit back at every race - I don’t want to wait until Monaco, I’d rather start here.”
The evidence of 2005 suggests that Istanbul Park ought to figure among his favourite tracks, and he smiled at the memory. “That was a mega race,” he said. “I watched it again recently. I really don’t know where I got my speed from that day, because I hadn’t been that quick in qualifying. I had to dig ever so deep. At the time, it was as though the others were standing still. It was weird, but it was one of those moments when I was really able to show what I can do.”
Hamilton’s team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen, has been cleared to resume driving after his violent accident during the Spanish Grand Prix a fortnight ago. Medical officials gave him the green light after a check-up yesterday. “I was asked to do the same test that all drivers go through when they begin their grand prix careers,” Kovalainen said. “They assess how your body and brain are working and test your reactions. I got a better score than I did when I was first evaluated in Australia last year, so the impact might have done some good.
“I really can’t remember any details of the accident. The first thing I recall is being in the intensive care unit at the hospital and asking McLaren’s doctor what I was doing there. He explained everything, and my memory has been completely normal ever since. I feel 100 per cent, and can’t wait to get back in the car.”
The field has been reduced to 20 cars this weekend following Super Aguri’s closure, but business continues as normal for everybody else.
