"It is great to be back in Europe,"

Lewis Hamilton is feeling more comfortable in the McLaren after testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona this week.

Although he only posted the fifth and seventh fastest times on his two days of running - the stage for the next round of the season next weekend - Hamilton insisted that it had been an unusual test when it came to predicting a pecking order, with teams running developments for next season, and not just the next race.

"There were a few [new developments on the MP4-23's aero package, and] we have definitely made some steps forward, but I think, at this test, everyone is doing something different," he said. "Some teams are running slick tyres, some are running grooves. We are just focusing on the job [of working for 2008], the car is feeling better and I feel a more comfortable in it."

The three 'flyaway' races yielded a win, a fifth and a non-score for the man who finished second in last year's championship standings, but Hamilton is adamant that there is plenty of time to turn things around as Formula One moves into its most intense phase of the year. "It is great to be back in Europe," he admitted, "This is when it really starts getting busy. You are closer to home, closer to the team, it is a great feeling." Bahrain turned into something of a personal nightmare for Hamilton, who crashed in Friday practice, qualified third and then struggled to get off the line after failing to prime the McLaren's starting systems early enough.

Swamped by the field on the run to turn one, the Briton then compounded his problems by running into the back of nemesis Fernando Alonso, condemning himself to a day fighting for very little reward and prompting observers to question whether he was the same Hamilton as shocked F1 last year. Openly admitting to his mistakes in the desert, however, the 23-year old insists that he has learned from the experience and expects to bounce back, starting with the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. "For sure, you learn something at every race, even if you win," he claimed. "I think we have come a long way and, looking to the next race, I feel very, very confident we can do a better job."