Lewis Hamilton has said he still thinks there is a 'real chance' for
McLaren to win both championships this season.
His comments come ahead of next week's Belgian Grand Prix, which will mark the start of the second half of the F1 2012 season and the end of the long summer hiatus.
Hamilton went into the break on a high after taking his second win of the year in Hungary. It was just the tonic he needed although the gap to current championship leader,
Fernando Alonso remains a concern, with the Englishman trailing the Spaniard by 47 points.
The situation in the Constructors' is similarly challenging, with
Red Bull Racing 53 points up on McLaren.
Despite that though, Lewis has reiterated the belief that
McLaren can turn things around - and with nine races left, there is still a lot of points up for grabs before the 2012 season comes to a close.
“My win in Hungary was a fantastic way to go into the summer break: it had the added bonus of sending the whole team away for their holidays with a positive feeling in their hearts. It's also given me the hope and assurance that we can come back for the final nine races with a real chance to go for both world championships,” he said.
Hamilton meanwhile is excited about heading to Spa-Francorchamps next week: “I really couldn't be happier that the season gets back down to business again in Belgium,” he continued.
“Spa is one of the best circuits in the world – it's always a buzz to nail a fast lap around there, and, after five weeks out of the cockpit, that first lap on Friday morning is going to feel absolutely sensational.
“Given the unpredictability of the sport, I think it's still difficult to predict accurately who'll win the next grand prix, but I reckon the coming few weeks ought to give us a much clearer idea of the destination of the world title.
“It's going to be an extremely tough, tactical and interesting finale to the season. There's no team with a clear advantage – although we're all pushing hard to catch Fernando's points tally in the drivers' championship – so there's still everything to play for.”
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh also reckons a title double is still doable: “Following the mandatory factory shutdown, we're fortunate to have had two full weeks available to prepare ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
"As usual, we're heading into this double-header hopeful of closing the gap to the leaders in both the drivers' and constructors' championships.
"Lewis's victory in Hungary certainly provided further proof to us that we can take on the fight for both – and that remains our aim: to win both world championships,” he concluded.