''Yes, we need the points, but we also want to win''Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was in bullish mood ahead of Sunday's European Grand Prix, promising to push for race wins rather than consolidating his lofty position.
The 22-year-old Briton is yet to finish
off the podium in his Formula One career and has established a 12 point lead over McLaren team-mate
Fernando Alonso.
But Hamilton has promised not to adopt a defensive style as he bids to become the first rookie to win the driver's title.
"Of course we have to bear in mind that we want to finish every race but that doesn't mean that we slack off," Hamilton said at the Nurburgring.
"We are going to keep on pushing hard to beat everyone. That is how we have been all season. The whole team is pushing extremely hard back at the factory to improve the car and I am working hard at my training to improve my own game. Yes, we need the points, but we also want to win. It's a balance."
Hamilton was outpaced by the Ferraris of
Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa recently at Silverstone and Magny Cours. But after a successful test last week at Spa Francorchamps the McLaren man is anticipating a return to top form in Germany on a circuit where he won twice last year on his way to claiming the GP2 championship.
"The Spa test went well for me," he said.
"We got there and the car felt better than it has all season so I was very, very happy." "Despite having a mixed weekend at Silverstone, we still came away from the track with a good haul of points and I am now really looking forward to getting back to the Nurburgring."
McLaren will face Formula One's governing body, the FIA, next week to answer charges that they used confidential Ferrari data to gain an unfair competitive advantage. Despite the possibility of championship points being deducted if his team are found guilty, Hamilton insists that he is unconcerned about the situation.
"I'm not really bothered about it to be honest," he explained. "I don't think that [point deduction] is going to happen, so I'm not worried. I'm confident in what the team has done over the years and I have every confidence in the team now."
Source AFP
