Hamilton told to let his driving do the talking

Former world champion Damon Hill has called on Lewis Hamilton to revive the spirit of Mansell Mania when he races at Silverstone on Sunday.

Hamilton goes into the ninth round of the world championship experiencing the kind of prickly relationship with the media and motor-racing supporters that Nigel Mansell sometimes had to deal with.

In particular, Hamilton has hit out at criticism of his apparent pursuit of a celebrity lifestyle and of his driving in Canada, where he rammed the stationary Ferrari of world champion Kimi Raikkonen at the end of the pit lane, and in France, where he was penalised for cutting a chicane.

Hill recalled how Mansell let his fierce and committed driving style doing his talking, particularly in 1986 and '87 when he won back-to-back British Grands Prix with brilliant drives that thrilled the crowds.

Hill said: "Nigel would get everyone wound up and pumped up, and suddenly he would get pumped up as well and then off he went.

"It had an effect. Everyone was cheering 'Nigel! Nigel!', and once he felt he had them on his side, that's when he delivered.