Despite setting the pace under cold and wet conditions on Friday, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton downplayed his chances of successfully competing for the Formula One title in his first season with the German team. Hamilton, who left McLaren for Mercedes this season, used a brief dry spell in the morning to record a time of 1 minute, 23.282 seconds on the fourth and final day of preseason testing at the Catalunya Circuit. "I think people are talking us up at the moment," said Hamilton. "(Sebastian) Vettel, and maybe Fernando (Alonso), were saying I'm maybe going to be competing for the world championship, but I really don't see that happening at the moment. "Of course that's our goal, but you have to remember the car was over a second off (the pace), sometimes two seconds off, last year and we've not caught up a second. Hopefully by the end of the year. That's our goal, but definitely not at the beginning." Practice was interrupted by eight red-flag stoppages due to the slippery conditions, which gave several drivers problems staying on the track. While the rain and delays from spin-offs didn't allow teams to get in many laps or long runs, it did offer the opportunity to try out Pirelli's new wet and intermediate tires. Hamilton's former teammate Jenson Button steered his McLaren to the session's second-best lap, while Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso was next. Read more http://espn.go.com/racing/f1/story/_/id/8975029/lewis-hamilton-sets-pace-last-day-testing-spain
