‘I love the way I race,’ Lewis Hamilton warns his critics

Lewis Hamilton will come under some of the most intense scrutiny of his career at the European Grand Prix this weekend after two botched races and an avalanche of criticism about his style.

But the 26-year-old McLaren driver has, unsurprisingly, come out fighting and defiantly announced: "I love the way I race."

The 2008 Formula One world champion has been involved in spate of controversies in the last two races. In Monaco he was called before the stewards three times in two days and picked up only eight points. Last time out in Canada he collided first with Mark Webber and then team mate Jenson Button, and the latter incident ended his race on just the eighth lap.

Now he is lying fourth in the drivers' championship, 76 points behind leader Sebastian Vettel and 16 points behind his team mate Button.

Hamilton has also come under fierce attack from a host of former drivers. After the debacle in Canada Niki Lauda said he was "completely mad" and told him: "You cannot drive like this – and it will result in someone getting killed."

Jackie Stewart pointed out: "To finish first you must finish and not be running into people all the time. He's having too many collisions with too many drivers." And Stirling Moss weighed in to suggest that Hamilton was "going too far".

Now another former F1 driver has joined the chorus of disapproval. Eddie Irvine, who is not quite in the same league as Lauda, Stewart and Moss, nevetheless said Hamilton was "the only guy in F1 worth watching", but added: "He's lost the plot. I don't think he's surrounded by the best people and he's lost respect for other drivers."

But Hamilton said that he had no plans to change. "I have always over-driven," he explained. "I extract more from the car than you are able to get from it. Even at Silverstone in 2007 when I qualified on pole. That car wasn't able to do pole but I rallied it around most of the corners. That is what I have always been able to do. When I started go-karting I had one of the oldest go-karts ever and I extracted more from it than the other person."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh also backed his driver, despite rumours that Hamilton is unhappy with the team and has been angling for a move to Red Bull.

"He doesn't like not winning so he didn't particularly enjoy the last two race weekends," said Whitmarsh. "Lewis can win this weekend and I'm sure that's what he's determined to do."

And any fears that the two McLaren drivers may have fallen out after their crash in Canada have been dispelled. Button, who went on to win the race, and Hamilton have appeared together at several events since their coming together and have appeared on good terms. ·