Hamilton: Consistency will be critical

Hamilton, who missed out on a potential hat trick of victories in Hungary when he suffered a puncture and eventually finished fourth, believes that with the level of competition between Ferrari and his own team McLaren being so even, an unbroken run of results could be all it takes to tip the balance.

"Looking back at the season so far, it feels like a different championship compared to last year: 2007 was very intense and consistency was incredibly important," he said.

"This year, everybody's results have been more varied and every driver who has won a race has also failed to score on at least two other occasions.

"That's made getting strong results even more important, but I think we'll see consistency becoming crucial as we head towards the end of the season."

Having taken pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton was outpaced by Felipe Massa in the race, and the Brazilian would almost certainly have won but for an engine failure.

The Briton pointed to this as an example of how unpredictable this season had become, but says he is still confident McLaren can maintain their strong summer form through to the season's climax.

"I'm wary of making predictions - the race in Hungary showed just how unpredictable Formula 1 can be, and that's one of the reasons why it's such a fascinating sport," he said. "Clearly, though, I am still in a good position to challenge for the world championship and that remains my aim.

"We still feel confident about our chances - we know our rivals will be strong, but we've worked hard to improve the car and are confident we'll be competitive this weekend. The most important thing is to finish consistently in the points."

One of only two drivers to have actually driven a Formula One car on the streets of Valencia, Hamilton added that he is looking forward to the Spanish city's first grand prix.

"We launched the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team in the city at the start of 2007, and I've tested at the Ricardo Tormo circuit so the city isn't unfamiliar to me," he said. "Anyway, going to a new circuit doesn't really change my preparations: everybody's in the same situation so I don't treat things very differently.

"Of course, we've done some preparation back at the McLaren Technology Centre ahead of this race, but our main focus will still be the three free practice sessions ahead of qualifying. I enjoy visiting new racetracks and I'm looking forward to getting into the cockpit on Friday morning. It looks like being an amazing track."