Hamilton puts racial taunts in past to praise Spanish fans

LEWIS HAMILTON has praised the Spanish fans ahead of their home grand prix in Barcelona this weekend.

Hamilton’s comments also come prior to the launch of the FIA’s ‘Racing Against Racism’ initiative.

Motorsport’s world governing body immediately acted after abuse was directed at Hamilton during a test session at the Circuit de Catalunya two months ago.

But Hamilton is happy to be racing at a venue he adores as he said: “The Circuit de Catalunya is a great track. We can’t ever lose it from the calendar.

“It always sees competitive racing, and there are so many enthusiastic fans there all the time which makes for a great atmosphere.”

Of greater concern for Hamilton will be ensuring he revives his title bid after a wretched weekend in Bahrain earlier this month.

After wrecking his McLaren during Friday practice, Hamilton then endured a miserable race day as he first momentarily stalled on the grid before later ploughing into the back of Alonso’s Renault.

Hamilton concedes he has “learned quite a lot” from what unfolded in Bahrain, adding: “I realised that when things go wrong at the beginning of the race I need to use damage limitation.

“I fell back to 10th and then tried to regain my positions early on, and that was a big mistake.

“I will also make sure what happened at the beginning of the race never happens again.

“Of course last year I had nine podiums in the first nine races, and that was fantastic, but then the end of the year wasn’t as strong.”

Meanwhile, Robert Kubica is convinced he can keep up the pressure on Ferrari and McLaren.

Kubica made history in the last race in Bahrain by grabbing pole position for BMW Sauber, ending the monopoly enjoyed by the two leading teams stretching back to 2006.

Going to Barcelona Kubica sees no reason why BMW Sauber will not be at the head of affairs again.

“Everyone will be coming to this race on top form,” said Kubica. “I guess all the teams will be lining up with an improved car, but that means we also have to get the maximum out of ours.”