Zoom Hamilton generating many opinions...

Lewis Hamilton expected to be confronted today by fellow drivers during their traditional Friday meeting, with a few having previously voiced negative opinions regarding a few of his driving maneuvers.

As it turns out, the Shanghai drivers' briefing was apparently business as usual, although Hamilton conceded afterwards that he knows he is not popular among his peers.

"It's a shame they all think that way but my driving is why I'm here and why I'm leading the championship so I'm not disappointed with the way I drive," he said.

"If other people want to expend their energy thinking about it, that's for them."

The McLaren driver believes it is par for the course for World Champion contenders to take stick from their opponents.

"I look at previous World Champions and previous seasons, and a lot of people that have been at the front have had these kind of situations, it's normal," he said.

As for Bernie Ecclestone, the 77-year-old F1 chief executive told Auto Motor und Sport that Lewis Hamilton is "good for business."

He also knows why the championship leader is not popular among his peers: "Out of the car he is a little bit arrogant."

"I think he has slightly too high an opinion of himself and that irritates the other drivers," Ecclestone added.

D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM