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By Sarah Holt
BBC Sport at the Nurburgring |
Britain's Lewis Hamilton has played down his chances of ending his victory drought at Sunday's German Grand Prix.
After topping two practice sessions at the Nurburgring, the world champion starts in fifth place on the grid after a series of updates to his McLaren.
But Hamilton said: "I don't know about victory. I think we have to take one step at a time.
"In the next three or four races at least we will be competing for wins but I don't think we can say that yet."
Hamilton believes he can now salvage something from a dismal season during which his hopes of defending his world title have faded.
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Have we transformed the car into a race winner? Not quite
McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh
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McLaren introduced a host of new parts for the home race of their German engine suppliers and sponsors Mercedes-Benz, handing Hamilton a new front wing, diffuser and top bodywork.
The Englishman says the updates have made all the difference as he looks to build on his most competitive weekend of the season so far.
Both Hamilton and his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen will also have the benefit of using the kinetic energy recovery system (Kers) power boost which could help them get the jump on their rivals off the start line.
"My confidence has grown in the last day and a half," said Hamilton, whose best result this season is fourth at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton salutes McLaren team effort
"I've pushed more and more and I can extract more from the car. The guys at the factory have done a fantastic job to bring the updates here and to put us on the right road.
"Knowing that I can push has given me a big boost. We can start exploring and fingers crossed there is light at the end of the tunnel."
On fuel-adjusted times, Hamilton's qualifying pace was in fact third fastest behind the two Red Bulls.
But Hamilton warned the unpredictable conditions during qualifying may also have played their part in his rise up the grid.
"I think today you saw conditions that were variable and that enabled us to be higher than maybe we should have been," he added.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh agreed a race victory may be a step too far in Germany.
Nonetheless, he remained confident the team can focus on developing their 2010 car whilst continuing to push for podiums over the remaining nine races.
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606: DEBATE
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"Have we transformed the car into a race winner? Not quite," Whitmarsh conceded. "Have we made progress? Yes.
"This is a fresh start and a better baseline for us to develop the car for the rest of the year whilst we are aggressively tackling next year's car.
"The ambition for Sunday's race is lots of rain, chaos and the win - and I do not think that's out of the question.
"But putting the weather aside, we need to race up to the first corner and see if we can get on the podium."
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