Motor Racing: Defiant Hamilton vows to fight on; MOTORSPORT: Top racing action on two wheels and four

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), June 23, 2008

Byline: By IAN PARKES Sports Correspondent

LEWIS HAMILTON is adamant he will not let his head drop, nomatter how many times the stewards hit him with penalties.

Hamilton nowfinds himself 10 points adrift of new championship leader Felipe Massa after the Brazilian took the cheque red flag in yesterday's French Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old McLaren star could finish only 10th after being on the wrong end of a dubious decision by the stewards.

Starting from 13th on the grid courtesy of a 10-place penalty after he ran into the back of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari in the pit lane in Canada, the Briton was then hit with a drive-through penalty 19 minutes into the race in Magny-Cours.

The stewards felt Hamilton had gained an advantage by cutting a corner to pass Sebastian Vettel's Toro Rosso on lap one.

It was a decision that cost Hamilton a shot at a points finish, but in a defiant mood post-race he said: "There is nothing you can do that can distract me.

"You keep on giving me penalties, whatever you want to do, I will keep battling and trying to come back with a result."

Hamilton certainly battled around the Circuit de Nevers, but it was all in vain and he has now failed to score in his last two races, and three out of eight this season, which is in contrast to his remarkable rookie year where he only failed to pick up points in two of the 17 grands prix.

But with the next race at Silverstone now around the corner, he has vowed to thrill his fans and come out fighting.

"I absolutely 100% aim on bouncing back at the British Grand Prix in front of my home crowd," insisted Hamilton.

"Regardless of what's written in the papers, I will go back to the workshop and push with the team.

"I will see the engineers now, focus on the next race and then hit 'em (my rivals) hard."

Hamilton's reference follows what he felt was some harsh criticism for his gaffe in Canada, and for barely showing any contrition, despite the fact the error was all of his own making.

Prior to yesterday's race, and speaking to ITV, he said: "I found out there was a lot of negativity in the media, and that's to be expected.

"That's what they do. They build you up and then they break you down, but they can't break me. I'm here to race, and I don't want all this stuff.

"But I'm very strong mentally, and my belief in my own ability is stronger than ever and there's nothing that can break me."

CAPTION(S):

RED HOT: Brazilian Felipe Massa celebrates his race win after steering his Ferrari to victory in the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours.