Lewis Hamilton vows to come out fighting in the final three races of the Formula One season, starting in Japan on September 30.
During the last five Grand Prix he lost 10 points to Fernando Alonso and five to Kimi Raikkonen. That cut his championship lead over McLaren team-mate to just two points (97:95) while Ferraris Finn closed to within 13.
The Brit had only two podiums, winning once in Hungary while the double world champion Alonso pocketed 37 points in total.
Raikkonen won the last race in Belgium but Hamilton has dismissed Ferraris championship challenge, saying he is focused squarely on beating Alonso to to clinch the Formula One world title in his rookie year: Im not really bothered about Ferrari, theyre a bit out of the picture. For me the thing is to beat Fernando and Im going to be very, very aggressive next couple of races.
McLaren boss Ron Dennis supposed the spy scandal may have taken its toll on Hamilton. Following the visit to Paris for the World Motor Sport Council hearing that resulted in damning sanctions against the team, the young Brit was distinctly off the boil throughout the Belgian Grand Prix. Early in the race Alonso bullied the 22-year-old into running off the circuit. Acknowledging the difference between Hamilton and Alonso in the last two races Dennis said: I think its just a question of the nature of the circuit, how they are feeling. Obviously, Lewis has watched the company struggle a little bit, the team struggle and maybe is a little bit more influenced by that. Hopefully we can now chill out, calm down and we have a good end to the season.
McLaren looks ready to accept the FIAs record $100 million fine and the decision to remove them from the 2007 constructors championship race after being found guilty of spying on the Ferrari team. Ferrari boss Jean Todt has warned rivals McLaren to appeal at their peril and risk the prospect of seeing Hamilton and Alonso kicked out of the drivers championship. The fact they were not punished was due to FIA president Max Mosley offering them immunity in return for information. Mosley said that he would have booted out the two McLaren stars and Todt said: If you go deeply into this sad story, you realise its a very soft sentence.
McLaren have already withdrawn their appeal against a points penalty received during last months Hungarian Grand Prix. The team were deducted 15 points in the constructors championship after Alonso was found to have deliberately impeded Hamilton in qualifying.
