Lewis Hamilton's in reverse after ruling out his title chances

Lewis Hamilton performed a speedy U-turn today and told his fans he has not conceded the world championship with more than half the Formula One season still to be contested.

The former champion threw in the towel after finishing fourth in yesterday's European Grand Prix in Valencia and declared: "My championship is finished. We just can't beat the Red Bull right now."

The McLaren driver is fourth in the title race, 89 points behind runaway leader Sebastian Vettel, of Red Bull, and with the British Grand Prix just a fortnight away, a downbeat Hamilton also said: "I'm not looking forward to the race because when you go to Silverstone, the desire to win is even greater because it's my home country. But we're just not quick enough to win there. I think we'll really struggle."

Hamilton's comments would not have been welcomed by his bosses at McLaren and it is likely that the 26-year-old was read the riot act overnight.

As a result, he sent a more upbeat message to his legion of fans first thing this morning.

Posting on his official Twitter account, Hamilton said: "To all our supporters, ignore what u read in the papers today. My team will never give up & I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!!!!

"Bring on Silverstone, ur support will make a world of difference to us. I'm going to the factory now to do all I can with our team."