At braking point

A scowl and a furrowed brow have replaced the flashy grin and the twinkle in the eye. The Midas touch seems to have deserted Formula One's latest poster boy in recent times, as his penchant for fast women is threatening to overtake his performance in his fast car.

And Lewis is definitely feeling the heat. Hamilton has fallen 10 points behind Felipe Massa in the Drivers' Championship and now sits third behind Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn completes a Ferrari one-two at the top of the standings.

Following his second race without a podium finish two weeks ago in France – both disappointments can be attributed to driver mistakes – the previously unflappable McLaren No1 launched a tirade of abuse at stewards and the media circus that is in danger of derailing his second season in the sport.

"There's nothing you can do that can distract me," Hamilton spouted in an interview with ITV. "You can keep on giving me penalties, whatever you want. I'll keep battling, and trying to come back with a result.

"Regardless of what's written in the papers, I'm going to push with the team and we're going to focus on the next race and we're going to hit 'em hard. I absolutely 100 per cent aim on bouncing back [at Silverstone]."

He gets his chance this weekend. A good qualifying time is needed this afternoon to prove the pressure of living life in the fast lane is not affecting the British driver.

With Ferrari favourites for tomorrow's British Grand Prix, Hamilton has to make a statement of intent at his home circuit, because the vultures are circling.

Recent reports have suggested that all is not well with the young racer who announced his arrival on the F1 scene so spectacularly last season. A remarkable nine consecutive podium finishes in his first nine races made the rest of the sport sit up and take notice of the young man with the precocious talent for motorsport.

Mistakes in China and Brazil ended up costing him the chance of championship glory, but Hamilton had far exceeded expectations in his debut season. The errors were credited to a naivety exacerbated by being at the forefront of the world's most lucrative sport at the tender age of 22.

Yet cracks have begun to emerge in the young Brit's boyish brashness. His misjudgement at Magny-Cours – which saw him obtain a drive-through penalty for gaining an advantage by going off-track – was his fourth this season already.

Hamilton recognises the problem, admitting: "I put a lot of pressure on myself. Too much. And that led to mistakes, being too on the limit. I wasn't really enjoying it, to be honest.

"I can't begin to explain how much pressure I have on my shoulders," he explained. The heat in the cockpit is due to rise considerably tomorrow when the McLaren driver attempts to breathe life back into his championship push with a much-needed win in front of an expectant Silverstone crowd.

He must prove that last year's Midas touch hasn't become a fool's gold.