Hamilton pours scorn on licence plate report
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-20 11:07

MAGNY-COURS, France - McLaren's Lewis Hamilton on Thursday poured scorn on reports that he had splashed out 200,000 pounds ($392,200) on a personalised car number plate.


McLaren Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton, seen here addressing the press in Magny-Cours, central France, admitted that he has been finding it difficult to tackle the pressure ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix. [Agencies] 

British tabloid newspapers reported this week that the Formula One driver had bought the British registration LEW 1S to put on his car in Switzerland.

"That sounds like the worst number plate I've ever heard of," the 23-year-old Briton, who moved to Switzerland partly to escape public attention, told reporters at the French Grand Prix.

"I'm not stupid enough to spend a couple of hundred grand on a bloody number plate," he added. "I wouldn't spend 100 pounds on a number plate. A number plate is a number plate, it doesn't mean anything to me."

Title hope Hamilton, who will start Sunday's race at Magny-Cours with a 10 place penalty after crashing into Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen at the previous round in Canada, said he had been unaware of the story until Thursday.