F1: There’s every reason to feel confident, says Hamilton

Hamilton says revamped McLaren still have title shot.

BUDAPEST:

Lewis Hamilton believes he and the McLaren team will mount a serious title bid in the second half of this season, starting with the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 2008 drivers’ champion, who was forced to retire from last Sunday’s German Grand Prix, said he can challenge for victory this weekend at Budapest’s Hungaroring circuit based on the McLaren team’s overall performance and speed last weekend.

“There’s every good reason to feel confident,” said Hamilton. “Things haven’t always gone our way in the first half of this year, but I certainly feel like we’re experiencing something of a turning point for the whole team now. We’ve really stepped up and delivered the pace we needed, our strategy has been spot-on and our pit stops, despite a troubled start at the beginning of the year, are now consistently the fastest in the pit lane.”

Ferrari boss issues rallying cry

Meanwhile, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo issued a rallying cry to the Italian scuderia on Thursday and heaped praise on team boss Stefano Domenicali’s leadership.

“We have to stay focused and continue our efforts to improve continuously,” said di Montezemolo. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Domenicali for his work. I’m pleased to see a true leader of a team that is doing well, which is what I want and which is worthy of the name Ferrari.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2012.