Hamilton expresses fears over future

McLaren are one of eight teams who have announced their intent to form a breakaway series, but not before a potentially long, bitter battle through the courts with motor sport's world governing body. And in siding with FOTA, the Woking team are putting their future as a racing team on the line as Formula One is their core business.

"I have not really had much time to think about the other things due to the amount of work I have had going on, especially in the last couple of weeks," remarked Hamilton. "Given the problems we have had with the car, I am devoting all of my time - apart from the appearances and things you have to do - to try and help the team move in the right direction, learning from our mistakes."

He added: "I am no engineer or aerodynamicist, but I am always asking questions, as much as they all do the same of me.

"I have been thinking about that mostly, but yeah, it is tough in the sport right now. I can only hope I am racing next year because I want another shot at the world championship, so I am very hopeful for it."

Clearly, a season Hamilton described as "pretty disastrous" is not the way he would want to bow out of F1 should the worst case scenario unfold.

It is a year that on Saturday sunk to a new low as he qualified a career-worst 19th for today's British Grand Prix, 12 months on from his greatest triumph when he thrilled a sell-out Silverstone with a mesmeric drive in the wet.

Underlining the old phrase of 'what a difference a year makes', a rueful Hamilton acknowledged: "I guess so. As racing drivers, as people, we all have good years, we all have bad.

"I've had a run of four good years, and I've finally come to a year where it's pretty disastrous, to say the least. But we continue to push and work as a team to try and improve, and there will be a better day. It's just a long, long struggle for us at the moment. But we'll keep pushing and hopefully we'll get back there one day."