Q & A with Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: "Yeah, I think throughout the whole session, even from P3 and going into qualifying, I was just trying to find more and more time.

"I wanted to get more and more on the limit of the car. When you go into qualifying you have a set-up and you cannot change it, so we went in with definitely a step forward, but it wasn't perfect.

"I just had to do the best job I possibly could, if not better, with the car that I had. I was really struggling in the high-speed corners.

"On that lap, I think I equalled one of the quickest first sectors and in the middle sector I improved myself, and I really maximised the tyres, and we got the grip from them.

"So I was able to carry the momentum I had off that middle sector. I did lose a little bit in the last corner, so it should have been a bit more of a gap, but I was still very, very pleased."

Q: With everything that has happened this weekend, would you consider that to be your greatest ever lap?

Hamilton: "No, it was by far not the greatest lap."

Q: Can you talk about your emotions just before you left the pits for that final lap?

Hamilton: "Well, we finished that first lap after the fuel burning and it wasn't great, as I lost quite a bit of time in sector one.

"I knew that when we came in, everyone was quite chilled and relaxed. We all went about our business, it wasn't panicked, it wasn't rushed and the team did a great job in getting me out as quickly as possible. I made a couple of little adjustments.

"I knew where the time was. It was just a matter of going out there and finding it. When you come across the line, you know you only have 30 seconds to get across the line, and then you have that one single lap, you cannot imagine the pressure you are under yourself.

"I needed to gain one tenth in sector one, sector two and sector three, so you have to do each corner a little bit better than you have done previously. That often results in making mistakes, but fortunately it didn't. I was really pleased to get that lap."

Q: Who do you think will be you strongest competitor in the race - Fernando Alonso or the Ferrari drivers?

Hamilton: "I think they will all be extremely competitive. As you have seen, Fernando was very, very quick throughout testing and through qualifying, and then I think for Ferrari we know how quick they are. It just depends on what strategies people are on. But I am in the best place to start the race and have the best opportunity to win the race."

Q: Can you talk a little bit about taking Copse Corner flat?

Hamilton: "I don't know if anyone has taken it flat this weekend. You have to have a slight lift because otherwise you could go off.

"In my first test in an F1 car here, on my last lap of the day, I took it flat. But that was because of tyres. When you are out there on heavier fuel, it is obviously extremely difficult to carry the same speed through the corner because the car is that much heavier and the tyres cannot take it.

"In Q2 it is still very difficult to take it flat, but as you go through Q3 the car gets lighter and you have to be as close to the limit as possible."

Q: Do you think McLaren have now completely recovered the advantage that Ferrari showed in Magny-Cours?

Hamilton: "I don't think we necessarily closed the gap. We don't really know what gap was there at the beginning. Obviously we were quick up to Magny-Cours, and there it was just the way the race went that meant they looked a lot quicker than they were.

"I think it is a lot closer in this race. We have great pace and I hope it continues through the weekend. I think we should never underestimate our pace."