Formula One / Ralph Ellis / 08 May 2009 /

A troubled season for McLaren's world champ shows few signs of improving, according to Ralph Ellis.

Lewis Hamilton is on a charm offensive. The kid from Stevenage who became the golden boy of Grand Prix racing has found his image tarnished. Narrowly beaten by Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy for the 2008 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, he's drifted to an amazing [17.5] already this time around. You get a shorter price on Turkey winning the Eurovision Song contest.

So with the help of sponsors Vodafone he's been out eating humble pie before this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. Well, he's been eating Spanish omelette, actually, cooked up together with his former McLaren team mate and rival Fernando Alonso and shared with current test driver Pedro de la Rosa.

The three drivers concocted the stunt before practice began today for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, while Hamilton tried to talk away the stink from his lies in Australia which still won't go away.

"I've just got to get on with my job and keep being me," he said when asked about last week's FIA decision to give McLaren a suspended race ban.

"I've got to remain humble and hope that over time people will get to know who I am and understand that firstly I am a good person." Which reminds me of the classic song: "Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way."

Hamilton of course is not at all humble, and nor should he be. One qualification for every top sportsman I ever met is a steely arrogance behind any pretence at being a nice guy. Even the likes of mild mannered Trevor Brooking possessed it.

He's also far from perfect, and that's true of his car too because it simply isn't quick enough, and it looks as if that won't change in a hurry: "It's one of the toughest beginnings for a lot of teams, and it's a surprise to see the teams who used to be at the back now at the front," he said.

"I'm not expecting too much difference in Spain. We do have some new parts but at the same time everybody else is bringing in something new."

That includes Ferrari who were unveiling their own double diffuser this morning, and it suggests that laying Hamilton this weekend for a podium finish could be a save way of making 33 per cent on your money - he's between [3.65] and [4.1] at the moment and his car isn't likely to have the set up for the sort of downforce circuit offered by Spain.

I also fancy laying Jenson Button, who is odds against to win the race at [2.86]. The different circuit, and the fact that so many teams will have new bits of technology available, means no driver should be odds on for this race.

Five things you might not know about Pedro de la Rosa...

1. Born in Barcelona in 1971, like Lewis Hamilton he started off by racing radio controlled cars before getting behind the wheel for real.

2. He won the European radio controlled championship twice, then won a local Spanish karting championship.

3. He began Formula One as a test driver for Jordan, then joined Arrows and scored a point on his debut in 1999 in the Austrian Grand Prix.

4. He's now chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, replacing Mark Webber at the end of last year.

5. In 2006 he drove tests at six circuits over the course of 54 days and recorded 4,958 laps.

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