Hamilton’s hopes of world title ‘hanging by a thin thread’

LEWIS HAMILTON fears his world title dreams are “hanging by a thin thread” following McLaren’s horror weekend in Hungary.

McLaren went into the race leading the constructors’ championship and with Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button one and two in the drivers’ standings.

But after their worst result of the year, with Hamilton retiring with a gearbox failure and Button finishing a lowly eighth after being lapped, McLaren are now looking up at rivals Red Bull Racing.

It is not a scenario that would have been envisaged by anyone in the team, least of all the drivers, heading into the summer break as the factory in Woking closed down at midnight on Sunday night for two weeks.

It will be a fortnight during which McLaren’s top brass will be wondering how they can claw back the cavernous deficit to Red Bull most significantly, but also back-in-the-hunt Ferrari.

With Hamilton now four points behind yesterday’s winner Mark Webber with seven races remaining, doubts have been raised within the 25-year-old as to whether he can add to his 2008 title.

“These seven races are going to be hard. We’re hanging on by a thin thread at the moment,” Hamilton said.

“If they (Red Bull) continue with the pace they have, then we really don’t have huge hope.”

Meanwhile Michael Schumacher has apologised to former team-mate Rubens Barrichello after almost pushing him into the wall defending his position in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Barrichello overtook Schumacher’s Mercedes on the main straight on the 66th lap, with Schumacher forcing the Brazilian off the road and inches from the pit wall before finally conceding 10th place.

Race stewards ruled that Schumacher’s move was illegal, and he has been hit with a 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian GP on August 29.

Schumacher responded yesterday by issuing an apology on his website.

“Yesterday, straight after the race, I was still in the heat of the moment, but after seeing the scene against Rubens again, I have got to say that the stewards are right with their judgment: the manoeuvre against him was too severe.”

Elsewhere Ferrari are to go before the World Motor Sport Council just four days prior to their home grand prix next month as they look to avoid further punishment over the recent team orders furore.

Motor sport’s world governing body, the FIA, have confirmed Ferrari will face a disciplinary hearing in Paris on Wednesday, September 8, with the Italian Grand Prix the following Sunday. The Maranello marque have already been fined $100,000 by the stewards at the German GP. The stewards were forced to investigate after Felipe Massa slowed on lap 49 of the 67-lap race at Hockenheim to allow by team-mate Fernando Alonso who went on to claim victory.