Hamilton confident in Canada

Lewis Hamilton

(GMM) – Lewis Hamilton on Tuesday admitted he is wearing a smile while traveling to Canada for this weekend's eighth round of the world championship.

It could be said that the 2008 world champion inherited the win in Turkey recently, but it was his pressure on the Red Bulls that preceded the now famous Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel crash.

Until Istanbul Park, pundits were predicting a Red Bull-walkover for the balance of the 2010 calendar, but Turkey showed that McLaren are back on the pace.

And with a powerful Mercedes engine and the F-duct, the long straights of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could see the British team out in front.

"It will be difficult not to be smiling during the whole flight to Montreal," Hamilton said in an interview with Germany's Speedweek.

"I am convinced that we are in a good position now. The car is running reliability and fast, and the track is tailor-made for it," the 25-year-old added.

During a media teleconference on Tuesday, boss Martin Whitmarsh also sounded bullish about McLaren's chances.

"(Canada) ought to be where we are quick," he told reporters, agreeing that Valencia should also suit the MP4-25.

"The Red Bull is still very strong in long high-speed corners. Fortunately the next two grands prix don't feature a lot of those, so we hope that we'll be strong."