Lewis keeps on flying

British Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton is putting his foot down as he aims to capture the Formula One World Championship. The Brit set a blistering pace at pre-event testing in preparation for this weekend’s race at Hockenheim, Germany.

With his McLaren featuring a host of aerodynamic aids, Hamilton topped the timesheets on two of the three days’ evaluation at the circuit. The most obvious change to his car was the addition of a distinctive ‘anvil’ engine cover, similar in style to those already used this season by Renault, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Force India.

The squad also experimented with a new front wing. As a result, the 23-year- old achieved a best lap time of one minute 14.8 seconds, which remained unbeaten throughout the session.

Title rival Ferrari put its miserable Silverstone outing behind it, as Felipe Massa made up for his last place finish in Britain by notching the fastest lap on the final day of testing. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen trailed Hamilton on the first two days, but is confident the Italian outfit suffered only a temporary glitch at the last race and that normal service will resume this weekend. Speaking afterwards, he said: “I’m reasonably satisfied with the way things went. I think we will also be competitive in the race, as we have been for the year so far. Our speed isn’t lacking.”

Fellow title contender Robert Kubica had a low-key test. The BMW Sauber driver was eighth fastest, with team-mate Nick Heidfeld one place ahead. However, bosses at the German squad were unconcerned, claiming it was concentrating on race set-up and strategy for its home event.

There was good news for the Honda team, as Jenson Button ended the final day with the second fastest time. Thanks to a package of aerodynamic changes to his car, the Brit managed to post a lap that was less than a tenth of a second behind Massa’s Ferrari.

“My day in the car was very productive and we did a lot of useful aerodynamic work,” said Button. “The new parts we tested were positive and we achieved a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back here next weekend for the race.”