Hamilton: McLaren will fight for wins

The reigning world champion delivered his best result of the season at the Hungaroring four weeks ago, and thinks that improvements to the car and the nature of tracks coming up on the calendar could deliver similarly strong results.

"We know we are on track to compete for more wins and definitely to compete at the front of the grid a lot more often," said Hamilton ahead of this weekend's European Grand Prix. "Our aim now is to win as many races as we can.

"Valencia went very well for me last year. I was second there last year and we were very competitive with Ferrari and Felipe [Massa]. It definitely suited my driving style and hopefully now with the car being a bit better we should be able to compete again for at least a podium. I think this weekend should be good for us."

Echoing comments made by team principal Martin Whitmarsh in a media call on Wednesday, Hamilton thinks McLaren's KERS could play a key role in helping deliver more wins.

"As our car gets better, KERS is going to become more and more valuable," said Hamilton. "I think if we were to take our KERS off then currently we are not as fast as, say, the Red Bulls. But with our KERS on I think we are now just as fast as them. Hopefully once we get our car to match theirs we will have a clear advantage.

"I think in Valencia - and in fact quite a lot of the races coming up - KERS is going to be quite an advantage to have, especially off the start."

The only negative element that Hamilton feels heading into Valencia is the fact that he will not be able to race against Michael Schumacher - with the seven-time champion having been forced to cancel his comeback because of a neck injury.

"As I said at the time, it would have been a real privilege just to be on the same grid as him, but I've just got to wish him well and hope he has a quick recovery.

"If he decides to come back at some other point in the future then I will welcome him with open arms. I was just so psyched to have the opportunity to race against him."