Hamilton backs McLaren to weather F1 spy storm

Sports / Motor Racing

Hamilton backs McLaren to weather F1 spy storm

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-07-20 09:05

NUERBURGRING, Germany, July 19 - Championship leader Lewis Hamilton
backed McLaren on Thursday to emerge unscathed from a spy controversy
that threatens his Formula One title hopes.

The 22-year-old British rookie sounded more concerned with beating a bout
of 'flu than the prospect of his team being punished by the sport's
governing body at a meeting in Paris next Thursday.

"I've only been with the team for a year but I have known (team boss) Ron
(Dennis) for nine years now and this (cheating) is something that Ron
would never do," he told reporters at the European Grand Prix.

"That's why I have such great belief in the team.

"I do feel they are one of the most honest teams out there. There are
always teams trying to bend the rules in some way but I honestly believe
we are the most honest. I think we will be fine," added Hamilton.

McLaren have been summoned by the International Automobile Federation to
answer charges of unauthorised possession of Ferrari technical
information found at the home of chief designer Mike Coughlan.

Should the Mercedes-powered team be found guilty of fraudulent conduct,
they could be docked points or even kicked out of the world championship.
They are 25 points ahead of Ferrari.

McLaren say nobody at McLaren was aware before July 3 that the
now-suspended Coughlan had Ferrari data and none of the information had
been used in making the team's cars.

Hamilton, who leads double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso by 25
points at the halfway stage of the season, said the saga would not throw
him off his stride.

"I have a huge amount of belief in the team, I'm very, very confident it
(the hearing) is going to go well so it is not really playing on my mind
at all," he said.

"I've not spoken to anyone about it and it's not something I need to
focus on. I have a job to do this weekend."

Hamilton, the first black driver to win a grand prix, has been on the
podium in all his nine races to date and could become only the third
driver to string together 10 successive podium finishes.

He cautioned however that the second half of the season demanded a
different approach from the first and recognised that he was everybody's
target as leader.

"It gets harder and harder to continue with the performance that you've
had and the consistency you have had," he said.

"In the first few races, you just go out and push to the limit and it's
so close to the limit that you could easily come off and lose the race. I
am not going to put the team points or my points at risk (now).

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