Lewis says rumours of his exit are exaggerated

A major chunk of the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) had been cordoned off on Sunday. The traffic signals though remained active, fluctuating routinely from red to orange to green. Ironic considering that the stage was set for Lewis Hamilton to indulge in a no-holds-barred festival of speed. The 27-year-old British F1 driver did not disappoint, even overcoming the uncalled-for showers that made the roads a tad unsafe for his manoeuvres.

Hamilton entertained the thousands that thronged BKC by scorching the roads in his McLaren and performing doughnuts at every turn. And as he left the air engulfed in the smell of burning rubber, the former world champion had also commenced the build-up to the adrenaline-rush season in India. He had rung the opening bell for the second edition of the Indian GP that is set to once again captivate the nation, a month from now.

Quashing rumours of shifting allegiances, Hamilton said that come October 28 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, and he would be gunning for his second world title with McLaren.

"I have not signed up with anyone. I have to get that (contract) sorted out (with McLaren). People are doing this in the background. Lot of stories are written about it, lot of speculations. But I don't get distracted by this rubbish. I am 100 per cent focussed on the world championship," he said, speaking to the media in Mumbai. This comes on the back of reports in some English papers that McLaren have decided to part ways with Hamilton, who had allegedly been negotiating a 60 million pound deal to replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes.

Hamilton said: "I have been part of the team since the time I was 13, and we've worked so hard since 2009 to win this championship. Now that we are in a position from where we can, I don't want to be distracted," he added.

... contd.

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