Lewis Hamilton denied claims on Thursday that he was "at war"
with Formula one McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso after the
controversial pit-stop incident at the Hungary GP.
"We are not drivers at war, as has been widely reported," the
Briton said in a statement.
The pair's already strained relationship was reported to have
broken down completely at the Hungarian Grand Prix at the weekend,
at which Alonso was relegated to fifth place on the grid for
blocking Hamilton in qualifying.
Hamilton went on to win the race, with Alonso coming home
fourth.
"Although we did not speak on Sunday, we have spoken a few times
since the weekend and we continue to have a professional working
relationship," Hamilton said.
"In fact, Fernando and I plan to meet up over the (August)
holiday period."
The 22-year-old, who leads Alonso by seven points in the
drivers' standings, is in his debut season but has confounded
expectations to lead reigning champion Alonso in the title
race.
"For the record, Fernando and I are fiercely competitive and
respectful of each other. We are both ambitious drivers who want to
win," he said.
McLaren also denied there was an "f-word" bust-up between
Hamilton and team principal Ron Dennis over the radio at the end of
the controversial Hungarian qualifying session.
Hamilton said in the statement that he had done his utmost to
conduct himself "professional and open manner" but made mistakes
and had his own regrets.
"However, it is disappointing inflammatory and untrue material
is given to the media and published which may damage reputations,"
he said.
"This inflammatory material is then commentated on by many
others as if it's factual.
"Whilst I wouldn't normally communicate through press
statements, I felt it's important to set this matter straight."
(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2007)