Hamilton stuck in reverse, says Lauda

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Two races on from his season-opening victory in the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton has slumped to third in the drivers' standings after coming 13th in Bahrain on Sunday. A botched start and a shunt with Fernando Alonso's Renault summed up his day.

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Lauda did little for the Briton's self-esteem with a typically blunt appraisal. 'At the moment, he impresses me absolutely not,' said the Austrian legend. 'I thought he would become better this year, but he has become worse.

'He's in pretty bad shape. The crash with Alonso, and into the tyre wall on Friday, were absolutely needless. He showed nothing in Bahrain. That's because of the pressure he is putting on himself.'

Hamilton's short F1 career, despite him missing out on the title on the final day of last season, had attracted widespread praise — until last weekend, when he fled the circuit in disappointment before the customary team debrief.

He plans to split his time between England and his new Geneva base ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on April 27. How will he respond?

McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said: 'Lewis won't lose confidence. He believes in himself and knows he can get the job done.'

The team's greater concern must be the pace of Ferrari and BMW, but Whitmarsh is confident their car will improve during testing over the next three weeks.