Hamilton: No great leap forward

During the last two weeks, Lewis Hamilton has been heard often enough affirming his belief that he can still take the title and reminding everyone of Kimi Räikkönen's championship victory in 2007, which had likewise been discounted at the same stage by virtually all the pundits. After Friday's free practice sessions in Brazil, however, Hamilton has had to concede that McLaren do not seem to have made any significant progress.

"We haven't made any great leap forward," he admitted. "I'd dearly like to be in a position to tell you that I have another half second up my sleeve, but I think the guys have done all they can to get the best out of the car that was possible with our resources and with balancing the time available between this year's car and the one we'll be using next season."