Hamilton hits back at critics

Lewis Hamilton yesterday joined Michael Schumacher in laughing off comments from retired racer Eddie Irvine and rejecting verbal attacks from Niki Lauda and others following his recent spate of on-track accidents.

The 2008 world champion, like seven-times title holder Schumacher, took no notice of the comments from fellow Briton Irvine who had told Autosport magazine that Hamilton had “lost the plot.”

“People love to take the opportunity to grab the headlines don’t they?” said Hamilton. “I guess that is what they have done.

“It doesn’t bother me or concern me. He can say what he likes. So can Niki. The stewards (in Montreal) didn’t agree with him.

“Jenson (Button, Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate) didn’t agree with him, my team didn’t agree with him. I don’t know many people who agree with him.”

Hamilton won the drivers world title in 2008 and has won 15 Grands Prix from 78 starts.

Irvine, who spent four years at Ferrari, won four of his 146 races.