Lewis Hamilton is relieved the hype and pressure that surrounded his British Grand Prix debut is now firmly behind him.

Although Hamilton has been hit by flu in the build-up to Sunday's European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, the heat has considerably eased on the 22-year-old.

In the run-up to the Silverstone race it was one long round of sponsors and media engagements, with the British hero snapped out and about with celebrities.

Then throughout the race weekend itself the public were hoping for a home victory to cheer from the rafters as Hamilton-hysteria went into overdrive.

Hamilton put his McLaren on pole, but there was no victory as he finished third. Fast forward a fortnight and the difference in demands from then to now is clear.

It has not gone unnoticed by Hamilton who said: ''The whole build up and hype, the pressure and everything (surrounding the British GP) was immense.

''I wanted to succeed, not only for myself, my family and the team, but also the fans. Because I was in my home country I wanted to do better for them.

''I got pole, but I didn't have the car to win. I was not disappointed. I was just hoping for better. At the end of the day I got third, another podium. As I've said from the beginning, I couldn't have imagined in my first season in Formula One always getting at least a third.

''When you are the centre of attention and it's manic, it's hard to cope with.

''At least here it's more relaxed, which is good to see.''