Hamilton vows to push for race wins

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton says he is still planning to push for race wins despite his advantage in the standings

The McLaren rookie is 12 points ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso with half the season gone.

Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are 18 and 19 points adrift respectively, but the Italian squad seem to be the fastest team at the moment following two consecutive victories in France and Britain.

Hamilton, however, believes McLaren can't afford to just defend their advantage and the Briton says they plan to continue pushing.

"We have to try and finish every race from now on, but that doesn't mean we are going to be slack," Hamilton told reporters at the Nurburgring.

"We are going to be pushing really hard. Yes, we need the points, but we want to win. It's a balance, but I don't think it's difficult."

Hamilton endured a disappointing home Grand Prix at Silverstone after struggling with his car's set-up during the race, but the Briton says he was encouraged following the test at Spa the week after the event.

"There's not a lot of time to find a perfect set-up. Sometimes you go down a route and it is too late to change," Hamilton said of the British Grand Prix.

"Spa was a good boost for me. The car felt better than it has all season. I had some dry running, but it rained after I left."

Hamilton said he was feeling fine following a flu prior to the European Grand Prix.