Lewis Hamilton says he thinks McLaren will have a job to beat Ferrari on straight-line speed in Montreal – but says his MP4-23 will have an advantage over the kerbs, and that could be enough to win the race.
Hamilton, who won his maiden grand prix in Canada last year, said that he had tried to put the high of his Monaco win behind him before relaxing and then preparing for the next race.
He told Autosport.com: “Last year I think we had a very good car. Obviously with the driving aids we had, I think the package was stronger in some areas than the ones we have right now. But that is because we have had some aids taken away.
“But we should be slightly better over the kerbs, which is definitely suited for this sort of circuit. And we’ve improved the engine and improved the aero, so we should be quicker overall.
“It is going to be interesting to see who is quick tomorrow. The team with the quickest car down the main straight, you know who they usually are, so it will be difficult to beat them.
“But I still feel quite optimistic and feel that we can make quite a big difference here.”
He is also sceptical that Ferrari made progress prior to Monaco: “I don’t really think they made any progress. I think they have been quick all year and I don’t think they particularly made a step compared to the previous race.
“But their car is better this year than last, so it was to be expected.”
Read the full Q&A here >>