‘Hamilton getting himself together’

McLaren’s Jonathan Neale is confident Lewis Hamilton will be at his physical peak when testing gets underway at Jerez next month…

McLaren’s Jonathan Neale is confident Lewis Hamilton will be at his physical peak when testing gets underway at Jerez next month.

While many spend their holidays indulging in life’s pleasures, sports stars do not have the same luxury.

Thus Hamilton, who finished fifth in last year’s Drivers’ Championship, has spent his time in an intense workout program that included a bit of ski-ing in North America’s Rocky Mountains

“I’m speaking to him most weeks,” Neale, McLaren’s MD, told BBC Sport. “He’s getting himself together.

“He’s winter training really hard and he’s in the right place, doing the things he needs to be doing. What he needs to do is get himself in the car. He’s only got something to prove to himself – he’s his own biggest critic.

“He puts extremely high demands on himself and we at the team are here to support him. It’s a tough business, you’ve got to get the job done.”