Mat Coch writes:

Lewis Hamilton says the championship is not out of reach, despite qualifying 1.7 seconds slower than pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel. The Englishman currently leads the championship over teammate Jenson Button by 14 points, with the Red Bull duo of Vettel and Mark Webber 7 points further back.

Speaking to the BBC, Hamilton reaffirmed his desire to add to the championship he won in 2008. "My determination is as high as it can be and it's the same for Jenson, Martin and everyone in the team. We want to win the championship and we are doing everything in our power to win it."

Hamilton took the lead of the championship after winning both the Turkish and Canadian Grands Prix, though his McLaren has fallen away from the top of the timing sheets ever since. With the mid-season break looming many in the paddock believe the lack of track time will hurt the Woking outfit most of all as the team scrambles to get on terms with the aerodynamic advancements of both Red Bull and Ferrari.

For his part Hamilton remains defiant. "You don't really think about the championship until the moment that it really, really matters," he said. "That is, when you are just about to win or you are just about to lose it. It has always been my approach. I don't think about the critical result and how that affects the championship."

The 25-year-old did conceded however that the team needs to improve if he has any hope of retaining his championship lead until Abu Dhabi. "Of course if we continue for the rest of the season and we are one second behind then inevitably it will be very hard for us to win the championship."