I can win Australia GP - Hamilton

2011-03-26 15:02:57

Lewis Hamilton has promised pole sitter Sebastian Vettel "the race of his life" in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who qualified in second, was hugely encouraged by the improvement in reliability and speed achieved by his McLaren team since pre-season testing.

"We've taken a lot of heat over the last few weeks from our winter testing, and what a turnaround," said Hamilton.

"The race is winnable from where I am, regardless that Sebastian is a little ahead in terms of pace."

The car lacked speed and reliability in testing because of problems with a complicated exhaust system.

This has been replaced by a more conventional design for the first race and McLaren have found a major step forward in performance.

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Button looking to close gap on front runners

"From where we came from in winter testing, a big thank you to all the guys back at the factory. They have done a tremendous job. Not just to bring reliability but to bring some great performance as well.

"It's amazing that both guys on the front row didn't have Kers, especially Sebastian. Let's hope it doesn't work at the start, then I'll be happy!"

Although the new Pirelli tyres are not wearing as quickly on the Albert Park circuit as some had predicted, Button believes the timing and number of pit-stops could still be critical.

"It's going to be a really big mix and I think all the teams will be watching each other to see what they do," he said.

"You can also get caught out like that. You do have to think on your feet but also you have to have a plan. I really trust [my team].

"They have done a great job with strategy so far. The great thing is that the driver can have some input to when they think it's time to pit with the tyres."

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh pointed out that Button also started last year's Australian Grand Prix in fourth position and went on to win.

"We have two great race drivers and we've got to look after the tyres, make no mistakes, and see if we can win a race tomorrow," he said.

"Jenson has been as quick as Lewis all this weekend, he wasn't quite comfortable with the balance of the car in that session so by his standards that was a disappointing performance - but nonetheless he is on the second row.

"He can win a race from there, Lewis can win a race. We've got to push Sebastian hard."

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E-mail this to a friend Printable version see also Australian Grand Prix from the pit lane 27 Mar 11 |  Formula 1 Ferrari will improve, says Alonso 26 Mar 11 |  Formula 1 Vettel blasts to Australian pole 26 Mar 11 |  Formula 1 Australian GP qualifying as it happened 26 Mar 11 |  Formula 1 related bbc links: BBC F1 coverage details Formula 1 blog Five Live Formula 1 related internet links: McLaren Lewis Hamilton Jenson Button Formula 1 FIA The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Skip to top PRODUCTS & SERVICES Daily and weekly e-mails Mobiles Desktop Tools News feeds Interactive TV Podcasts A-Z of Sports American Football Archery Athletics Badminton Baseball Basketball Bowls Boxing Canoeing Cricket Cycling Darts Disability sport Diving Equestrian Fencing Football Formula 1 Gaelic Games Golf Gymnastics Handball Hockey Horse Racing Ice Hockey Judo Modern Pentathlon MotoGP Motorsport Netball Rowing Rugby League Rugby Union Sailing Shooting Snooker Squash Swimming Table Tennis Taekwondo Tennis Triathlon Volleyball Weightlifting Winter Sports Wrestling blq.setLabel('searchSuggestion', 'Search BBC Sport');

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