Hamilton hopes for step forward in Spain

But the Briton admits it would be naive to expect McLaren to take a huge leap forward considering every top team will have several updates in Barcelona.

"We've got a couple of fairly significant upgrades coming for this race," said Hamilton in a preview ahead of the Spanish race.

"And while it would be naive to think that these will move us up the pecking order - because almost all the teams produce a major bodywork update for Barcelona - we're optimistic that they'll once again help us to bridge the gap to the leading cars.

"And, of course, we've proved in the past that we've been both extremely capable and prolific at adding performance to the car across the course of the season, so I'm hopeful that we'll be heading into Barcelona in good shape."

Hamilton conceded things are likely to be hard for his team if the race is dry, and reckons qualifying strongly will be crucial.

"If it's a dry race, then, realistically, I think it's going to be harder for us to be up at the front," he said.

"As we did in China, we'll be putting additional emphasis on qualifying; it will be more important than ever in Barcelona as, traditionally, it's always been a track where overtaking is very difficult.

"Given that most cars will only be stopping once, we have a less scope for passing, so a good grid position will be vital here."