Blue sky thinking: Lewis Hamilton says his only focus is on winning at Silverstone

EDDIE IRVINE once turned up for a charity golf day by plonking his helicopter down ten yards from the first hole, approximately 30 seconds before he was due to tee-off. While men quietly nodded their grudging approval at such cool and effortless bravado, women just swooned.

Irvine had it all – looks, charisma and a playboy lifestyle to make Hugh Heffner jealous. But there was a problem – he never won a world title.

Last week Lewis Hamilton fine-tuned his preparations for today's British Grand Prix at Silverstone with a whirlwind of sponsors and social functions.

He posed, arms draped around Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger backstage at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday party and by 6am the following morning he was on a super yacht, competing in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. A few days later he was further stamping down his carbon footprint, jetting into Amsterdam, where he was unveiled as the new face of sportswear company Reebok.

Hamilton's hectic lifestyle has led some observers to voice concern that the 23-year-old, in only his second F1 season, is no longer fully focused on going one better than last season's second-place finish.

Father Anthony remains the rock at the centre of Hamilton's career. Nothing gets signed, nothing gets agreed without it passing across Anthony's desk.

When Hamilton made a sporting charity bet with Jenson Button last week – claiming he could beat him in a forthcoming triathlon – his father soon put a firm stop to such high jinks. "Lewis accepted the challenge like the good sport he is, but his manager has decided to withdraw him from it," he wrote. Only 'Lewis, you're grounded' – would have been a shorter and terser way to react.

While his triathlon career was short-lived, Hamilton's foray into sailing didn't get off to the most auspicious start either. After a high-profile shunt cost him the recent Canadian Grand Prix, he could have done without snapping a rival boat's mast in half like a matchstick.

"I know it's slower than Formula One – but it's hard work out there," he panted, after a session on the 'grinder' that left him gulping in sea air and sweating heavily. "You get invited to loads of events but this is one of the coolest things I have done. I'm just hoping I will be invited here again."

Last season Hamilton could do no wrong – win and he was a precocious superstar, F1's very own Doogie Howser, lose and he was a promising rookie. He arrived at Silverstone on the back of two firsts, four seconds and two thirds – it seemed he had a season ticket to the podium.

This year, however, with Hamilton trailing Felipe Massa by ten points ahead of today's race, scribes and pundits have him in their sights – especially after his problems in Canada and Bahrain. Two wins have been paired with two other podium places plus a fifth, tenth, 13th and a DNF. Some have claimed he was struggling under the groaning weight of national expectation.

At 74, John Surtees is as wizened an old sage as you'll find on the pit lane, winning world titles on both motorbikes and Formula One. "I think it's time to cut Lewis some slack," he said. "Anthony has been guiding Lewis's career since he was eight – he knows what to do and will ensure Lewis is always properly prepared.

"The problem with F1 now is sponsors want to maximise their return, that puts real pressure on the drivers. Financial rewards can be a temptation and a diversion but I think they'll get the balance right."

However, Hamilton insists his focus is 'all business' as he prepares for the biggest race of his season. A keen student of F1 history, Hamilton has watched videos of recent home winners at Silverstone and the scenes that followed such triumphs.

He finished third in his maiden home Grand Prix last year and knows an improvement on that is desperately needed to improve his drivers' standing position.

"The expectation is high in your home race but I thrive on that and it makes me even more determined to succeed," he said. "The last couple of races haven't gone according to plan but there would be no better place to put that right than Silverstone.

"I've seen the pictures of the crowd when Damon Hill and Nigel Mansell won there and I've read about how much those victories meant to them.

"Ask any driver and they'll say that winning their home race is the ultimate dream the day they start racing. Monte Carlo always had a special place for me and winning there this year was amazing, winning in Silverstone would eclipse even that."

Hamilton has special affection for Silverstone, so Bernie Ecclestone's decision to move the 2010 British Grand Prix to Donington Park will not have been welcome.

Silverstone held the first world championship F1 race in 1950 and has been the sole home of the British GP since 1987, having previously alternated with Brands Hatch and Aintree.

"Silverstone is part of the British summer – it's a phenomenon," said Hamilton. "I'll never forget my first race there and the feeling that I'd properly arrived in motorsport. Copse, Club, Becketts, Priory – this track is part of the language of our sport and for a British driver it means a great deal.

"The drivers love the circuit – it's one of the races they all look forward to and it would be a shame to alter it. It's a super-quick track, you barely touch the brake for the first half of the circuit and there aren't many tracks where you can say that."

Damon Hill, the last British driver to win the World Championship, won around Silverstone 14 years ago and believes Hamilton could follow him.

"The circuit suits him – and there wouldn't be a more popular winner," said Hill. "He's wobbled a bit this season but the second season was always going to be very difficult for him. He's a real chance but he needs to focus on driving."

Hamilton insists his title challenge will come good in the final half of the season, where circuits are better suited to his slowly improving McLaren.

But he's increasingly blurring the line between confidence and arrogance.

"I'm still on a learning curve and I know there will be ups and downs," he said. "The key is to keep going forward. The hammer is going down for us now, as a team we realise our season is on the line. We're going to hit our rivals hard."

A fine sentiment but perhaps, given what happened in Montreal a few short weeks ago, hitting rivals hard wasn't the best choice of words.

FLYING FINN TAKES POLE AT SILVERSTONE

HEIKKI Kovalainen secured the first pole position of his F1 career to put McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the shade.

The Finn blitzed the Silverstone circuit, finishing half a second quicker than the most unlikely candidate to join him on the front row in Red Bull's Mark Webber.

Kimi Raikkonen will start third in his Ferrari, with Hamilton next up following one of the most dramatic qualifying shoot-outs of the season.

Hamilton effectively blew it as on his first flying lap in the closing ten-minute Q3 as he ran wide on to the gravel going into Priory.

Behind him come Renault's Fernando Alonso and the BMW Sauber of Nick Heidfeld, followed by the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Vettel.

Remarkably, championship leader Felipe Massa is ninth in his Ferrari, with his closest challenger in BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica 10th.

David Coulthard, competing in his final British Grand Prix after confirming he will retire at the end of the season, missed out on a place in the top ten by 0.059secs in his Red Bull.

Jenson Button's recent woeful run continued as he will start from 17th in his Honda.

Leading final positions: 1 Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 1min 21.049secs, 2 Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:21.554, 3 Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:21.706, 4 Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:21.835, 5 Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:21.875, 6 Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:22.029, 7 Piquet (Bra) Renault 1:22.491, 8 Vettel (Ger) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:23.251, 9 Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:23.305, 10 Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber No Time.