With two consecutive wins under his belt, Lewis Hamilton will go into this weekend’s French Grand Prix full of confidence, but team-mate Fernando Alonso claims to be similarly positive about his chances.

The Spaniard, who is ten points behind Hamilton in the drivers’ championship, sees similarities between the Magny Cours racetrack and Monaco, which gives him hope that a third win of the season is on the cards.

"I have always liked racing at this track, when you hear people talk about circuits that are technical, Magny Cours is definitely one of them. It is important to have good speed in the slow corners as they tend to lead onto long straights," he said.

"You have to have good mechanical set-up for the corners and the same with traction for the exits. My favourite sections of the track are the two high speed chicanes at the back of the circuit. We go through them at speeds of up to 200km/h, which is very fast for a chicane; very special to drive through and unique in Formula One."

Hamilton’s memories of Magny Cours are hardly the most positive, having been pushed back to 19th place on the grid after a coming together in the French round of the GP2 championship last year.

"I did make my way up through the field to fifth to score some points, so it is possible to overtake here," he added.

Hamilton and Alonso have both looked good in the early practice sessions and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes will be looking for another one-two finish from its two star drivers this weekend.

Norbert Haug, vice president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, has recalled some of the brand’s greatest moments in France, using the Mercedes-Benz history as a source of inspiration for the coming race.

"In the brand’s first Formula One race, Mercedes-Benz took a one-two victory with Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling on July 4th, 1954," he said, before urging the entire Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team to remain focused for the remainder of the season.

Take a look at our Motorsport section for more about the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.

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