New McLaren car not good enough, says Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton yesterday delivered a damning verdict on McLaren's latest challenger, stating it is currently not good enough for this year's Formula One world title.

That is not to say Hamilton is throwing in the towel on his hopes of adding to the championship crown he won in 2008.

But as it stands, the MP4-26 is clearly not up to scratch, as was proven to be the case on the second day of the final pre-season test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Due to hydraulics and exhaust issues, Hamilton managed a miserly 57 laps on a day when he and the team were meant to complete a full race distance, only to fall woefully short.

With concerns rising over reliability and pace, Hamilton told Press Association Sport: "I have every belief in my heart that I 2 an win many, many more world championships.

"But do I believe I have a car to win the world championship at the moment? I don't.

"That doesn't mean it won't become a world championship winning car.

"There were improvements today, which is at least a positive. It's not all negative.

"So as long as we keep pushing in the right direction, and with the new things we have coming several races down the line, hopefully they will enable us to close the gap and compete for wins.

"As long as we pick up a good few points in the first few races, then we won't be miles behind."