Formula One news

Hamilton to rely on 'instinct' at start

As the build up to the Monaco Grand Prix intensifies, Lewis Hamilton has said that he will not hold back on trying to get past McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso at the start of the race. The 22-year-old will line up alongside the double-world champion on the front row of the grid and has already succeeded in several audacious starts this season.

So far this season the leading driver into the first corner has gone onto win the race at every Grand Prix. With overtaking particularly difficult around the Monte Carlo streets, Hamilton's prime opportunity to take control of the race will be at the start.

"I think you have to run on your natural instincts and see how the start goes," Hamilton said.

"If I get a better start and it looks like I can pass, then I probably will, but I won't do anything silly to risk pushing both of us out of the race. It is a long, long race and I think I feel good about our strategies and I feel we can come away with a one-two. So, it is important we are sensible."

Hamilton also revealed that the McLaren principals will warn the pair to keep the team's interests primary.

"The team will speak to us before, but we are professional. We respect each other and we are teammates and we want to do a good job for the team, but we also want to win and we will go into that first corner probably not as aggressively as we would if we were going into it with a Ferrari.

"But we are going to be conservative and see what happens. We are on different fuel strategies, similar pace. So we'll have to see how it goes. It is going to be difficult tomorrow with the conditions and also you never know when the pace car is going to come out. We'll see," he added.

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