Hamilton satisfied after 'tough' race

World champion Lewis Hamilton says he will continue to struggle to get near this season's front-runners because his McLaren cannot yet truly compete.

Hamilton was "quite satisfied" after coming from the back of the grid to finish 12th at the Monaco Grand Prix.

But he fears a much tougher task in future races because of the car's failings through high-speed corners.

"The next few races are going to be very tough," he said. "We do get better - but not at the same pace as Brawn."

Don't get your hopes up. It [Turkey] is all high-speed corners and we don't have a good car on high-speed corners McLaren's Lewis Hamilton

The 24-year-old Englishman made up ground in Monaco on Sunday largely because six drivers crashed out or retired - but, despite being held up in traffic, he did manage to showcase his raw driving ability during some laps of Monte Carlo's tight, twisting street circuit.

His relative pace, however, can also be attributed to the fact that the deficiencies of his McLaren were minimised around a track that possesses only low or medium-speed corners.

And that, along with the continued progress being shown by runaway championship leaders Brawn, is Hamilton's overriding worry.

When asked about his prospects for the next race in Turkey on 7 June, he said: "Don't get your hopes up.

"When we get to Turkey it will be an even tougher race than this one, for sure.

"It's all high-speed corners and we don't have a good car on high-speed corners. So it will perhaps be a similar finish to Barcelona. But we will push to get as high as possible."

Hamilton finished ninth but was off the pace and lapped in Barcelona, where the circuit is very similar to that of Turkey in terms of the demands it puts on a car.

Hamilton now sits ninth in the drivers' championship, 42 points behind Brawn leader Jenson Button, and the Englishman tipped his compatriot to take the 2009 title after his convincing win in Monaco.

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"Jenson's doing a fantastic job and clearly he's in the best position to win the championship," he said.

"All the best to him. I'd definitely put my money on him."

Despite Hamilton's concern for the next phase of the season, he did offer words of encouragement.

"Of course, I will be back [here in Monaco] next year to try and win," he added.

"All world champions go through tough times and that's what we're going through.

"It's going to be very tough in the next few races. But we'll just keep on pushing and I hope at some stage my car gets better and then we can start challenging for wins or at least some points."

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