Hamilton, Alonso skip Turkey build-up

[fasteddy]

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, August 23rd 2007, 09:04 GMT


World championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will be notable absentees from the Istanbul Park track on the Thursday build-up to the Turkish Grand Prix.

Despite the intense media interest surrounding the fight for the world championship, especially after the events of Hungary, the duo will be staying in downtown Istanbul rather than heading to the track.

Both drivers have scheduled sponsorship commitments in the morning and, with neither being called up for the official FIA press conference this afternoon, the team have decided to hold a scheduled team meeting downtown rather than have everyone make the lengthy trip to the circuit.

The Woking-based outfit are keen to put the events of the Hungaroring behind them, and it is understood that the meeting today will be be geared towards clearing the air ahead of track action starting tomorrow.

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren F1 CEO, said last week that the team were determined to keep their focus.

"Each race weekend has its own challenges. We faced some unique ones at the Hungarian Grand Prix and there has been much reportage in the press in the two weeks since," he said.

"However, none of this has affected the preparation and motivation of Fernando, Lewis and the team for this round of the season."

[fasteddy]

Hamilton lambastes 'playboy' reports

By Alan Baldwin Saturday, August 25th 2007, 09:58 GMT


Lewis Hamilton has hit out at attempts to portray him as a playboy racer after becoming a regular in the news pages of British tabloid newspapers probing his love life.

Over the August vacation, he was photographed with one of the daughters of multi-millionaire McLaren co-owner Mansour Ojjeh on a yacht in the Mediterranean and leaving a London cinema with another supposed conquest.

Hamilton said the truth was very different.

"I'm not a playboy. I haven't gone out and bought lots of expensive cars, I'm not dating all these women," the Briton told reporters at the Turkish Grand Prix.

"If I was, then fair play and write stuff about me. But I'm just trying to lead a normal life."

Hamilton said he was disappointed with the reports. "All those stories are completely wrong," he declared.

"I was supposed to go away with my friends, with the lads and have a lads' holiday, but I thought it was a bad idea at the mid part of the season where I'm leading the championship.

"I thought it was better just to relax, do some training and I was invited on to the boat and they took care of me - there were 13 of us on the boat and there were three of the Ojjeh daughters and they all had their boyfriends there.

"When I first got there, I wasn't expecting to have pictures taken of us and what you don't see in that picture is that there were 12 of us in the back of the boat throwing each other in.

"At the end of the day, it probably wouldn't be so bad if I was getting together with all these women but I'm not.

"I just found out the other day that I've slept with (pop singer) Dido. I don't remember it."

Hamilton said the media intrusion into his private life had affected others close to him.

"We're still great friends and we talk all the time but the papers just keep on bringing that up. It's devastating for both of us," he said of the relationship with his former girlfriend and the implication that he had cheated on her.

"Now I am supposedly dating one of the Ojjehs, which is completely untrue, she has a boyfriend. We are just great friends.

"Then I went to the cinema the other day with my best friend and his fiancee and my friend Mohammed. The papers said one of them's my bodyguard and I'm seeing this girl. So now I'm cheating on someone else."

[fasteddy]

Briatore would welcome Alonso back

 Tuesday, August 28th 2007, 12:52 GMT


Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso would be welcomed back to Renault with open arms, team boss Flavio Briatore has said.

Alonso won back-to-back world titles with the French team before moving last year to McLaren where he has endured a turbulent season and an uncomfortable relationship with rookie team mate Lewis Hamilton.

"I can't deny that I think Fernando is great but he has a contract with someone," Briatore said in an interview with sports daily Marca on Tuesday.

"He is very special. We had a special relationship at Renault and it was always transparent. Although he signed for McLaren we continue to be friends.

"Of course I would love to have him in the team, I think everyone would want Fernando because he is exceptional."

The flamboyant Italian multi-millionaire did not want to comment on the problems Alonso has been having at McLaren, nor on whether he thought the Spaniard would see out his contract with them.

However, when the interviewer told him most Spaniards thought Alonso would be better off still at Renault, Briatore responded: "So do I. You don't have to be Spanish to think that."

Alonso finished third at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul on Sunday to close the gap on leader Hamilton to five points in the world championship.