Hamilton: we can still do it

He may have said McLaren are struggling to keep up with the leaders after the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, but Lewis Hamilton remains confident that the results will 'come soon' and that they are still 'very much in the hunt' for the F1 2012 drivers' title. Hamilton slipped back from third on the grid to finish fifth at the Principality last Sunday, prompting comments that he 'really hates going backwards' [see separate story - HERE], despite that disappointment though, the 27-year-old is convinced he can return to winning ways and when the circus arrives in Canada next weekend, he will be gunning for his first victory of the season, as well as looking to ensure he maintains a run that has seen him score points in every race so far this year. “This is turning into a unique season – one where every race provides new challenges and different outcomes. Even though everything hasn't gone right for us, I'm confident that myself and the team are doing everything we can to ensure we're in the best possible position to challenge for victory each and every weekend,” Hamilton said ahead of the seventh round in the 2012 F1 World Championship “I know that the results we all want will soon come to us: I am doing everything I can to extract every tenth from the car, and I know that the guys at the track and the men and women back at MTC are doing everything they can to give me a car that's worthy of winning. “We are still very much in the hunt for this world championship and I'm looking forward to bringing that fight to Montreal, which is one of my favourite races of the season.” So how do Canada and Monte Carlo compare? “The contrasts between Monaco and Montreal couldn't be greater,” Hamilton continued. “Although they're both races that take place in the middle of a city, the circuits are very different and each has its own unique personality. “The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a fantastic track – it's super-fast in places, which means it requires finesse and precision, but you can also end up racing wheel-to-wheel with people at 200mph too, which is an incredible sensation. “However, you still want a car with decent low-speed traction – all those long drags are usually preceded by tight hairpins, so it's important that you can get the power down efficiently if you're to pull a good laptime together. With KERS Hybrid and DRS in the mix, it should be an exciting grand prix – although, interestingly, we're reverting to a shorter, single-DRS zone after the double-zone last year. “On paper, I think our car will be well-suited to the combination: we showed in Spain that we're very good in high-speed corners, but we were also quick in the final sector, which is slower and more technical. “Of course, it is still difficult to accurately predict the outcome, so I will be focusing on another clean weekend where I can score more consistent world championship points,” he concluded.