Hard work ahead for Hamilton to claim top spot

London: Lewis Hamilton, wearing dark shades from departure lounge to baggage collection, was up early to fly from Budapest to London on Monday. Back to tweak McLaren's car at their factory in Woking?

No, the rules don't allow it, and there's the rub.

"If I was to sit here and say I am confident I will win the world championship that would not be right," said Hamilton, who is four points off leader Mark Webber, of Red Bull, after his gearbox failed in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.

"But I have to remain optimistic. I am fit enough and I think I have enough in me to win the championship. Whether we will have the package to deliver, I can't answer. We just have to keep working."

"Yes, McLaren are struggling for pace compared to Red Bull and Ferrari, but there is nothing they can do about it. Not for a fortnight anyway.

"We are at the beginning of the summer break, the next race in Belgium, is on August 29 and the cost-cutting measures introduced last year impose a mandatory two-week factory shutdown on all teams."

New components

Each team can choose to take it when they wish. McLaren started yesterday. That means they cannot conjure up new components other than in their doodlings on the beach or check them out until the freeze ends.

That would appear to advantage Red Bull and Ferrari, who have emerged in that order as the fastest cars on the track. That is in part due to the flexible front wings they are deploying. Flexible body work is outlawed, but the FIA have yet to find a test to rumble the innovative designs. And before anyone cries foul, pushing the laws with engineering ingenuity is a key ingredient of Formula One's arms race.

Red Bull's Australian driver Webber said as much: "Our guys have worked hard to design a car in the spirit of the regulations and every time we are tested by the FIA, we pass.

"So when people don't like what they see on the stopwatch they have to justify their own positions. That's how it is. We're more than happy with what we've got on the car and we're sleeping well at night." Wing envy, then? Yes indeed.

The good news for McLaren, who are no doubt striving to fashion their own version of the flexi-wing, is that the FIA are introducing a more stringent test for Spa.