Hamilton: Barcelona will determine how fast we are compared to others

Feb.19 (PVM) Contrary to reports doing the rounds last week in the media, Lewis Hamilton is reportedly happy with the McLaren MP4-27 and believes the forthcoming Barcelona test will reveal where they stand in relation to the other teams.

Last week we reported here that Hamilton had shared his concerns about the new McLaren with former team mate Heikki Kovalainen, but since then a video interview with the 2008 F1 world champion has been released... perhaps to set the record straight.

"The car felt pretty good for the first couple of days. There's not the problems like last year, so it's a good step. We've got a lot of upgrades coming, which is positive - we're just working really hard to try and improve the car," said Hamilton.

"We've got Barcelona coming up next, which is going to be a bit of a tester. That's a good track where you can really judge or determine how fast you are compared to the others, so that will be an interesting test," added the winner of 17 grands prix.

Barcelona testing begins on Tuesday (21 February) at Circuit de Catalunya.

Increasingly there has been talk that Hamilton might be seeking a move away from the only team he has driven for in F1, but according to legend Sir Jackie Stewart, this would not be a good move.

"I think McLaren are one of the best racing teams there's ever been in Formula One, they've got a facility second to none. Things can be mended, things can change, but from my point of view I think Lewis Hamilton fits McLaren very well and I think McLaren fits Lewis Hamilton," said Stewart.

Hamilton, 27, concluded, "I hope this year's going to be a good one. I feel in great shape, I've been training really hard over the winter, so as long as we've got the car we'll be in a good place."