SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Hamilton confident he can take title battle to Alonso

After winning two of the last three grands prix, Lewis Hamilton is hopeful of another strong showing in F1's showpiece night race around the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore this weekend.

McLaren is now on something of a roll, having won the last three European grands prix before a hectic schedule of seven flyaway races ends the F1 season.

Hamilton, who won at Marina Bay in 2009 but had collisions with Mark Webber and Felipe Massa in 2010/'11, is a fan of the race, which is the longest on the calendar at almost two hours for the 61 laps.

"I go to Singapore full of optimism that we can take the fight to Fernando," Hamilton said. "I enjoy Marina Bay in the same way that I like racing at Hungaroring. It's a darty track that requires you to be really on top of the car to get the best from it. It requires more finesse though: most of the braking zones are approached at very high speed, and the walls are never far away..."

Team mate Jenson Button's non-finish at Monza means that Hamilton is now McLaren's only realistic hope of chasing down Alonso in the drivers' championship.