Hamilton: Top ten start is realistic aim
Lewis Hamilton believes a top ten start and a points finish is a realistic target for McLaren-Mercedes in Germany after he set the pace in Friday afternoon practice at the Nurburgring
The reigning champion beat the Red Bulls and Brawns near the end of the session, but said his practice speed should not be taken as evidence of a big step forward by McLaren.
"We haven't fixed our problems," said Hamilton. "Not yet. We're working on it."
After being knocked out in Q1 for three straight events, and having not scored since Bahrain, Hamilton said he hoped for a more modest upturn in Germany.
"Try to get in the top ten," he replied when asked about his targets for qualifying.
"For us this will be a big step. If we're able to challenge for the points every weekend, that would be a huge boost for us."
Hamilton added that the new parts McLaren had introduced this weekend appeared to offer an improvement so far.
"We've got some small upgrades which are definitely working in the right direction but we still have a long way to go," he said.
"The car is not perfect yet. But I think the guys at the factory have done a fantastic job."
Share Or Save This Story
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Jon Noble: An unfair perception or a genuine concern? Lifting the lid on Red Bull’s Tsunoda scepticism
Hamilton demands action to tackle "ridiculous" cost of motorsport
The bold Ferrari turnaround that enabled Hamilton's Barcelona win
Ferrari to introduce new F1 fuel and engine updates in Austria
Does Red Bull’s denial that Racing Bulls is helping it on-track stack up?
Top five roles on Motorsport Jobs this week
Audi surprises rivals as it ran upgraded F1 engine at Barcelona GP after ADUO verdict
How Verstappen almost conquered the world’s greatest circuit
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments