LEWIS Hamilton will be looking for a strong grid position in today s qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. The 24-year-old F1 driver from Tewin went well in practice and his McLaren is better suited to the tight and twisty nature of the Monte Carlo street

LEWIS Hamilton will be looking for a strong grid position in today's qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old F1 driver from Tewin went well in practice and his McLaren is better suited to the tight and twisty nature of the Monte Carlo street circuit, with its slow corners and close crash barriers.

Hamilton won around the expensive streets of Monaco last season and will be fighting for as many points as possible on Sunday.

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "Everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is rightfully proud of the team's reputation around the streets of Monte Carlo.

"We have won the grand prix for the past two seasons and McLaren has triumphed here an unprecedented 15 times - more than any other Formula 1 team.

"As a result, we go into the race with a greater degree of optimism than we had going into Barcelona: both Lewis and Heikki [Kovalainen] enjoy this circuit and we feel MP4-24 will be a more competitive proposition around the streets of the principality."

Norbert Haug, vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, added: "The Monaco Grand Prix is certainly the most classic race on the calendar of the Formula 1 World Championship and the one that gets the broadest audience worldwide.

"Monaco is thrilling each and every year and everybody involved in Formula 1 has to be proud that this prestigious event is part of our campaign.

"Our track record in the Principality looks good - since our first victory in 1998, we have won there on six of 11 occasions, an achievement which makes this circuit obviously one of our favourites."

He added: "Our results have not been strong lately, so we all will be very focused in Monaco in order to create an upwards trend.