Lewis Hamilton, the new leader of the Formula One driver's world championship, heads to Monaco in a fortnight hoping to claim a maiden victory after his record run of podium finishes continued in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.

Ferrari's Brazilian driver Felipe Massa may have won the race, but 22-year-old Hamilton took most of the plaudits in Barcelona after becoming Formula One's youngest ever championship leader, again outperforming his double-world champion McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso who finished third in his home Grand Prix.

Hamilton, the current GP2 champion, is not one to sit back and reflect on his achievements, he has immediately focused on going one better and claiming his first race win in Monaco.

The English-born Hamilton, who is the first driver of Afro-Caribbean descent to race in Formula One, has not finished lower than third in the four races so far this season and few would bet against further success on a Monaco track where he has already experienced victory in the Formula Three and GP2 series'.

"We didn't particularly have the pace of Felipe, but I think we came another step closer and, as I said to him, we'll get him soon," Hamilton said.

"I think we'll be very strong in Monaco, so I'm looking forward to it. Again, that's one where we're going to be pushing hard to get as many points as we can but for sure, I'm going to be going in for a win."

Many respected spectators in Formula One have been surprised by Hamilton's smooth transition into the sport.

But after taking the record as the youngest driver to lead the World Championship from Bruce McLaren, the founder of the team for which Hamilton drives, even he seems slightly taken aback that, as things stand, he has an excellent chance of actually winning the Championship in his debut season.

"I keep saying I am living my dream, it is really true," he added.

"I have been working so hard for this and to come into only my fourth grand prix and come out leading the championship with the top two drivers here is incredible.

"Even from the last race (Bahrain) we knew that there was a possibility of winning the championship. But again, we have to be realistic. It is only my first season so it's going to be ups and downs.

"I've done a good job I think until now and the team have done a fantastic job and as long as we keep the reliability good on the car and I don't make any mistakes, then I'm sure we can continue with the performance we have."

The win was Massa's second in a row following his Bahrain triumph last month as he, like Hamilton, continues to overshadow his more illustrious teammate.

Finn Kimi Raikkonen was worryingly forced to retire after suffering a problem with the wiring to the alternator of his F2007 car with Ferrari chief's promising to work on their car's reliability ahead of the Monaco race in a fortnight.

"We are, of course, much less satisfied about our level of reliability that we had up to now and we have to concentrate on that," said Ferrari's technical director Mario Almondo.

"If I have to give you numbers; 51 percent we have to concentrate on reliability and the other 49 percent is improving performance."
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(Channelnewsasia.com? May 16, 2007)