“I’m not going to reflect on it, I’m just going to move forward,”
said Hamilton.
“It’s in the past, it doesn’t really matter now. Sometimes you have to
accept when things don’t go your way in racing.
“Obviously it was frustrating to lose out so close to the finish. It
wasn’t good.
“I definitely didn’t get out of the car smiling, but these things happen,
this is what motor racing is about, it’s what competition is about. You go
through these kinds of experiences
“As far as I’m concerned I’m still in the battle for the title, and
there’s still a long, long way to go.
“I’ve been massively consistent all the way up to this point, and in
terms of my preparation and my approach I will continue to do the same.
“It’s not as if I drove into the wall on my own. I didn’t make a mistake
on my own.
“So I will just continue to do what I’m doing, try and stay out of
trouble more.
“It doesn’t really alter the way I go racing because I race to win, and
that’s what I’ll be doing, especially at my home grand prix.
“And we can still compete for the championship. I feel what happened is
just a blip in what can be a great year.”
The crash with Maldonado overshadowed yet another pitstop error this season
from McLaren as a new front-jack system proved faulty when Hamilton took on
fresh tyres at the safety car period.
It cost him an additional 10 seconds in time, as well as position on track at
that stage, and but for that he would undoubtedly have avoided his
penultimate-lap exit.
Asked whether the ongoing pitlane problems were a concern, he said: “They’re
always a concern because it’s been a problem every race so far.
“But after each race you put it behind you, you go to the next race with
the mindset that there’s not going to be any problems.
“Last weekend our first pitstop was the fastest of all time (2.3secs), so
I’m told.
“If we can try and maintain that, or even if we just slow up a little but
we’re still quicker than other people and we have consistency, then we’re in
good shape.”
With the McLaren seemingly well suited to the high-speed nature of
Silverstone, there is belief within the team Hamilton and team-mate Jenson
Button can thrill a sell-out crowd.
With Hamilton determined to triumph again after doing so in 2008, he said: “To
me, winning at Silverstone is right up there with winning at Monaco.
“Standing on the top step of the podium in 2008 was among the sweetest
moments of my career.
“We’re going to give it everything we’ve got to put on a great show.
“This is an incredible summer of sport for Britain and I want to play my
small part in bringing some joy to the fans.
“I will be doing everything possible to get a win for my country on home
soil.”