Hamilton: I couldn't be better prepared

Lewis Hamilton believes he is fully prepared for his Grand Prix debut, and admits he has no hesitations about jumping straight into a race seat with McLaren

The Briton will compete in his first Grand Prix this weekend after a long winter of preparations following the announcement that he will partner world champion Fernando Alonso at the British team.

Hamilton, last year's GP2 championship winner, has covered several hundred laps to prepare for his maiden Formula One race, and he feels he could not be more prepared even if he had spent a year as a test driver.

"It has been a very, very long winter of testing," Hamilton told reporters in Melbourne. "We have covered a lot of mileage and I was the second highest driver in terms of distance covered. I think Heikki Kovalainen was first, but I think I did something like 7600 kilometres.

"That is a lot to do in such a short space of time," he added. "I am extremely fit and feel very, very relaxed about that. I have done a lot of race distances and I really don't honestly feel I could be better prepared.

"I don't think a year of testing would have prepared me any more. I have got another step to do, which is to learn about the race and the whole race weekend, but that is something I am used to."

Despite his lack of racing experience in Formula One machinery, Hamilton starts his debut season with confidence, and with the clear goal of scoring wins as soon as possible.

Although he will partner two-time champion Alonso, the 22-year-old Briton claims he is not feeling a number two driver at McLaren.

"Fernando is an extremely talented driver, as a two-time world champion, and I respect him and respect that position," Hamilton added.

"We have to wait and see. I don't look at the team and say: 'I am number two.' We are both there to do a strong job for the team and we are both there to win. So we will see at the end of the day."

But despite his upbeat mood, Hamilton has set modest goals for his first race this weekend.

When asked about his goals for his first race, Hamilton said: "To finish, and to hopefully finish in the points. That would be a great starting point to the season."