F1: We Have A Competitive Car, Says Hamilton

Formula 1

F1: We Have A Competitive Car, Says Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton shrugged off being just ninth quickest on Friday in Barcelona...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted March 02, 2012 Barcelona (ESP)

Lewis Hamilton will roll off from P1 in Malaysia on Sunday. (Photo: Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton was a modest ninth fastest in Barcelona Friday but the former World Champion is adamant that McLaren is in good shape.

This time last year the team was struggling badly with both performance and reliability concerns.

“Today was all about testing setup,” said Hamilton. “It was a good day. We learned quite a lot and improved a few things. We didn’t get a lot of mileage, as we had a lot of downtime in between changes. Our car feels better setup wise, we still haven’t added the new aero package – so I think we’ll get a better picture of what the car will be like in Australia over the next two days.

“But I definitely feel like we have a competitive car. This year’s winter testing has been way better than last year. I’ve not had any problems, we’ve ironed out a lot of issues and I feel very comfortable. I’m fit and ready for Melbourne.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.