LEW-SING CONTROL

Hamilton was predicted to roar to the Formula One crown this year after coming within one point of winning the title in his rookie season.

But the McLaren driver's challenge has hit the buffers after mistakes in his last two races.

And as Hamilton comes of age in Spain this afternoon when he makes his 21st grand prix start, the 23-year-old admits he is feeling the pressure of leading his Mercedes-powered team.

Hamilton said: "Last year I was just a driver who was here to have fun and do the best job he could.

Human

"Now I'm trying to carry my country on my shoulders, as well as a massive team. It is a lot to take on. I'm not the most experienced driver and I'm only human.

"I'm bound to make mistakes at some stage but I think we'll see something different later on this year.

"The pressure is greater than last year, that's for sure.

"I'm aware that the whole country wants me to be world champion."

Hamilton heads into today's crunch race in Spain knowing he has to hit back in the championship battle if he is to become the first Brit since Damon Hill 12 years ago to win the title.

The Geneva-based racer has slipped five points behind Ferrari's reigning champ Kimi Raikkonen after two nightmare grands prix in Malaysia and Bahrain.

Hamilton came home fifth in Bahrain after being demoted five places down the grid for impeding drivers during qualifying.

And he could only manage 13th at the last race in Bahrain after messing up the start before ramming into the back of former team-mate Fernando Alonso's Renault.

The mistakes have heaped the pressure on Hamilton for the first time since he blasted on to the grid in sensational style last season.

He added: "I sort of knew that was going to be the case and that my mistakes would be amplified.

"I guess things are quite a bit different from last year, when I could just shrug things off and nobody would ask you any questions.

Crash

"There's a lot of pressure, most of it coming from me, but I don't feel it's a distraction. I'm not going to change the way I approach races.

"I felt fantastic before the start in Bahrain. I made a very, very small mistake and the repercussions were worse than they should have been.

"The biggest error was running into Fernando. I always feel I'm one of the best racers – my strength is that I don't crash in races.

"That was the mistake I was really beating myself up about. The start incident was unfortunate. It's not as though I forgot to put the switch on. I did it, but I was one second too late.

"But I still think I am in a good position for the championship. There are still so many races to go and we saw last year that things can turn around quickly.

"But I just want to get a win now."

McLaren's managing director Martin Whitmarsh admitted it was inevitable Hamilton would come under greater pressure this season.

Whitmarsh said: "You can't reduce that pressure. "It's the same with all of us; Lewis, the team and his fans would be bitterly disappointed if he's not world champion by the end of the year.

"We live with that pressure. We get criticised when we don't win but that criticism is never as harsh as our own self-criticism."