Lewis Hamilton not too fussed on missing F1's London street show

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was calm to defend his decision to give Formula 1's London street show a miss on Wednesday.

The three-time F1 champion, instead, chose to spend some time in Greece, where he was on a two-day off between the back-to-back grand prixs.

"Everyone has the right to make a decision for themselves. For me, I thought that its been a pretty intense season so far and I felt, I needed to prepare the best way I could for this weekend. The season is the most important thing for me and that's really it," he said in the press conference.

Hamilton added that he hadn't been on the phone much and so he didn't check a lot of what was going on in London, but he understands people will have different views to his.

"Personally, I prepared the best way I could for this weekend and that's really what I can do. Of course, there's people who will have opinions about it.

"It is a very intense season, I am trying to prepare the best way I can for the battle ahead of me and other people will have different ways of doing.

"I love this grand prix, I love this race, I don't feel yesterday personally plays any role in how great this weekend is for me.

"Every season for the last 10 years has been incredible, has been growing, every time you have people who have saved up so much through the year to come to this grand prix.

"I think you would have seen in the previous years, how much I appreciate and respect that and trying to give and enjoy the weekend with the fans and that doesn't change," he explained.

The British driver also clarified that there was no issue regarding using his image in the event and that he had alerted the organisers, as well as Toto Wolff and the team that he would miss it - and the decision was greeted with 'understanding and respect'.

Hamilton admitted that he didn't know he was booed during the event, but reiterated that his full focus is anyways on the weekend ahead.

On the subject of connecting with fans, Hamilton was vocal about the media's lack of coverage when any driver visits a hospital, while they questions a driver missing an event like London.

"I would like to think that I do everything I can to generally connect with the fans that do have the biggest following here in F1 and communicate with them as much as I can. The fans means everything to me, I always have said that and I have made no secret of that.

"I think hopefully my commitment to the sport over the last 10 years and what I do actually outside the sport, things that perhaps you actually didn't comment on, such as when I go and visit a hospital and spend time with young kids who can't come to a grand prix.

"That's not something that is send to you to report on, but that's actually also very important to me and that's where I feel I like to put my energy mostly.

"So, ultimately we have decisions to make and you have to stand firm with the decisions you make and feel proud of the decisions you make and I personally do.

"This weekend as I said, coming here and give everything as much and shine and raise the flag in the best way I can, driving the best way I can, the goal is to with the British Grand Prix for my home crowd and I have been very fortunate the last three years to do that and the yearning and the will to do that again is greater than ever."

His fellow competitors Daniel Ricciardo, Pascal Wehrlein, Valtteri Bottas and Daniil Kvyat, all echoed similar sentiments that it is 'each to his own', when they were asked on Hamilton's absence.

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