LEWIS HAMILTON plans to spend the F1 summer break plotting an unlikely drivers' championship triumph, having cancelled his holiday following his split from pop singer Nicole Scherzinger. The British driver has been through "emotional turmoil" since the couple broke up earlier this month, says the Daily Telegraph, adding that Hamilton has been open about trying to win her back. He even dedicated his race win in Hungary to the former Pussycat Dolls singer But the euphoria of victory has helped turn his attention back to driving and he now intends to spend the next few weeks preparing for the second half of the season. "His plans are probably not unconnected with his break-up with... but it is also true that his 22nd race win, one of his best, has given him fresh impetus and he has chosen to train through the mid-season lay-off," states The Guardian. Hamilton is in an almost identical situation, points wise, to the one he found himself in last year. In 2012 he won in Hungary with McLaren, but failed to make any inroads into the 47 point gap between himself and the championship leader during the second half of the season. This time round he finds himself 47 points behind the leader but believes he is in much better shape. "Last year I didn't feel like I had the car to win ten races," Hamilton said. "This year I feel I have a car that can win ten races. The tyres are going to play a massive part of that but I truly believe in this car. It feels awesome. "It feels it's there with the Red Bulls and the Lotuses. I think our pace was very similar." But while Hamilton and Mercedes appear bullish, Fernando Alonso is in the doghouse with Ferrari after declaring he would like "someone else's car" after the race on Sunday, in which he finished fifth. The team president Luca Di Montezemolo spoke to Alonso on Monday and "tweaked his ear", said Ferrari. The move comes amid rumours that Alonso could quit Ferrari for Red Bull at the end of the season. "It is highly unusual for Ferrari to reveal its internal dealings in such a manner and it emphasises Di Montezemolo's strength of feeling about the situation," said the BBC. Source: The Week UK
