Hamilton relaxed despite criticism
By Jonathan Noble Saturday, October 11th 2008, 02:16 GMT
Lewis HamiltonWorld championship leader Lewis Hamilton says he is relaxed and raring to get on with the final push for the world championship - after brushing aside criticisms of his driving style by Robert Kubica.
The McLaren driver holds a seven-point advantage over Ferrari's Felipe Massa with three races to go, and is sure that the pressure of the situation is not weighing down on him.
"I've been fairly relaxed at the end of the season to be honest," said Hamilton. "I went back home and I felt good at home. I'm not worried about the last three races.
"I've come here and I've got in the car and driven as well as I ever drive, and so I feel I'm on top of things. I haven't got any particular worries.
"We have just got to try to avoid any potential, you know, speed humps that come along because there is always some kind of problem that appears in some way, shape or form. So we have to try and make sure we are prepared the best we can be."
Hamilton found himself criticised by his friend Kubica in the build-up to Fuji, when the Pole told German media that he felt the Briton had been too aggressive with his driving at times this year.
"There are two different ways you can drive," Kubica said. "You can be aggressive but stay fair. Or you can be too aggressive and too self-confident.
"What Lewis did in Monza, for example, that was too much. He cut in the way of Timo Glock and forced him to go on the grass. And Fernando Alonso had to lift the pedal on the straight because Lewis had crossed his line. That was too much by far.
"It was too dangerous. We did mention this in the drivers' briefing and I think everybody has a similar opinion. But in the end we can talk as much as we want. But if somebody is convinced that he has the right to do so, we have no chance to stop him. That's why we have penalties. In Monza they should have given a penalty to Lewis."
Hamilton was unmoved by those comments, however, insisting that the only thing that matters to him is winning the championship for McLaren.
"I don't care what the other guys think," he said. "I'm here doing my own job. I represent my team, myself, my family, my country and I do it the best way I can. At the end of the day there are always going to be people you are beating who aren't particularly happy about things, but that's motor racing."
And having led Ferrari in the first two practice sessions for the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton was upbeat about his prospects for a repeat win.
"I think today went really well," he said about his Friday performance. "We've obviously got a quick car and we were actually quite quick round here so if it stays dry we are going to be very competitive.
"But I have just been having a look at onboard laps of myself and Felipe and Kimi and it's all very much the same, you know. There are little bits here and there..."
