27/06/2011
NEWS STORY
As Sebastian Vettel extends his championship lead to 77 points, Lewis Hamilton concedes that 2011 championship is almost decided.
With eleven rounds remaining, Vettel's lead essentially gives him three free races in which he doesn't need to finish but would still be leading the championship. However, with the German having finished in the top two of every race since Korea last year that scenario appears highly unlikely.
The first of the mid-season rule tweaks - the banning of changes to engine mapping between qualifying and the race - appeared to hit McLaren more than the intended victim, Hamilton having a difficult afternoon on the streets of Valencia, witness his insistence over the team radio that he couldn't drive any slower then, shortly after, claiming that he couldn't drive any quicker.
Two weeks before the British Grand Prix, Hamilton and McLaren's home race, it was the last thing that partisan F1 fans wanted to hear. However, it got worse. Talking after a race, in which he finished fourth, 0.46s behind Sebastian Vettel, the Englishman admitted that the 2011 championship is as good as over.
"I think it's finished really," he told reporters. "In the sense of the championship it's almost over already."
Two weeks after Jenson Button's magnificent win in Montreal, Hamilton appeared to dash all hopes of a Woking revival.
"In all honesty we weren't as quick as the Ferraris so even if I was ahead of them I would have really struggled to have stayed ahead," he said. "It seems like we've take a step backwards perhaps this weekend in terms of performance or the others have taken a step forward again."
Asked if he was looking forward to Silverstone, the 2008 champion was refreshingly honest;
"Er, no," was the quick response. "I am looking forward to seeing the fans there," he continued, "because it's great to be in the home country and to see all the fans. But we're not quick enough to win there and I think with the new regulations changing again I think we will make another step backwards personally.
"I think we're quite a bit down in downforce, we've not made an upgrade for several weeks really," he added before correcting himself. "I mean, we've made an upgrade in the front wing for example but rear downforce we've really been struggling with that. I think in the next race we'll be really struggling."
After controversial outings in Monaco and Montreal, the latter culminating in calls from Niki Lauda to impose a ban on the 26-year-old, Hamilton was asked if he was relieved to have finished the race without any incidents.
"I've finished a race. Whoopy do," he replied dryly.