The coming weeks will prove critical in Lewis Hamilton's efforts to reconstitute his championship assault in the wake of two very disappointing weekends and the fact that the next race will be held in the white heat of the British media spotlight is not going to make that task any easier.

While Lewis insists the media reaction to his Montreal faux pas did not bother him, one cannot help but feel that there is a level of pressure on the young McLaren ace which, if not hurting, is certainly not helping him. The errors in Magny Cours qualifying were the hors d'oeuvre to the race incident with Vettel, when the velocity of the McLaren and its racing line seemed destined to ensure he would never make the chicane which followed. It was a wheel-locking, erratic performance that bore the hallmarks of frustration instead of the confidence which marked him out as being so special last year.

The errors in Montreal and Magny Cours were in themselves only a partial issue, but the ramifications were severe given the penalties meted out to him by the powers that be.

I also have the impression that, in the same way Hamilton worked the media so very well in season one - when his media profile was innocent and unsullied by events - his reaction to the problems of season two has been poor. To belittle the Montreal pit lane shunt by stating it was 'a silly mistake' was wrong; the statement lacked credibility and was bound to insult the intelligence of the media and the wider F1 public. Montreal was a race in the bag and the pitlane accident was a costly mistake, its effects far reaching both in terms of the lack of points scored in Canada and the qualifying penalty with which he had to start the weekend in France.

For a man who lost the World Championship in his debut season by one point to state that losing 10 points in Canada was simply 'silly' beggared belief. It was, I am sure, a throw away line. But every word he utters is grist to the media mill. Words must be chosen carefully.

Season two was always going to be harder for Lewis Hamilton than season one. In season one he was in a win-win situation; do well against Alonso and you'll be applauded for the giant killed act, do poorly and you'll be forgiven for first season nerves and allowed the benefit of a second year to prove Ron's faith.

As it turned out, Hamilton made his first season his own, and though he lost the title by one point, he could hardly be faulted. Season two, however, was always going to be tricky. Anything less than winning the championship would be viewed, by the media at least, as a failure for someone who - in their unforgiving eyes - really ought to have won it last season. Hamilton could no longer be excused for having nerves, for learning circuits, for not understanding how things worked - issues that, frankly, were not really a problem for him last year anyhow.

The burden of expectation present in season two was also going to make the media hyper critical, particularly if any on track dip in performance were to be matched by any off-track 'antics'. Even if they were both innocent and understandable.

And so, while things turned sour in Canada and subsequently France, one could not help but understand the media's desire to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the presence of assorted glamour girls and celebrity invitations were causing a distraction. Let's be honest, a purring Pussycat Doll would cause most red blooded males to reprioritise their work-life balance.