Dennis: Hamilton will leave Bahrain behind

McLaren boss Ron Dennis thinks Lewis Hamilton will waste little time dwelling on his nightmare Bahrain Grand Prix.

Hamilton lost the lead of the world championship in Sakhir after nearly stalling at the start and then colliding twice with Fernando Alonso.

And although the British driver`s disappointment was evident by the way he left the track almost immediately after the race, Dennis is sure that the setback will not have an impact on his preparations for the next race in Spain.

“If you`re a competitive person, you`re hard on yourself,” said Dennis. “I`ve said many times that I don`t think I`m the exception to the rule in this team: we`re not great losers.

“We`re fighters and when you don`t think you`ve done a particularly good job, you go away and all you want is for the next race to come because you know that if nothing else changes, you`re going to be more competitive.

“It`s the nature of this sport. It`s so full of ups and downs. The emotional rollercoaster of Grands Prix has never been any different.”

Dennis believes that the only thing Hamilton will ultimately care about as he arrives at a race is the points standings. And, with things so close at the moment, there is little reason to be too worried.

“What happens is you rationalise everything for a couple of days, go through a mental dip and then you come back,” he explained. “The only thing you look at as you go into the weekends is the points standings, and they`re all so close it`s almost immaterial at this stage.

“When it`s so close, you don`t start suddenly panicking. You concentrate on starting the weekend and working though it and doing a really good job.”

8.4.2008   ▪ Formula One    ▪ Dennis, Hamilton    ▪ www.autosport.com