"Experts warn Hamilton to stay focused"

Two of England's leading psychologists have warned Lewis Hamilton he must keep his focus firmly on the track or else he runs the risk of missing out on the Formula 1 world title.

The pressure on the rookie driver has gone up considerably following his retirement from the Chinese Grand Prix, and the McLaren star now just holds a four-point lead over team-mate Fernando Alonso.
With the final race of the season looming large on October 21st, Cary Cooper, Professor of Psychology and Health at Lancaster University, believes Hamilton needs to avoid any distractions.

"He musn't play any hype games with anyone else. Just forget it," said Cooper. "Be with people that matter to you, don't get involved in the hype, just stay focused.

"People might say certain things that would upset him, and possibly distract him, and he doesn't want to hear any of that."

Prominent sports psychologist Andy Barton has worked with a number of Formula 1 drivers in the past, and he has echoed Cooper's comments.

"John McEnroe is one of the few sportspeople who improved their performance by getting heated up, it's a very rare thing.
"
He's handled these slanging matches very calmly and is quite mature and matter of fact about it in many ways," he revealed.

"But probably it is best to avoid it and concentrate on what you're doing, not what other people are doing."

Darren Dunne

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