Because, as he prepares to try to close out the Formula One World Championship in Brazil on Sunday, the McLaren driver has again been the subject of vicious racial abuse in Spain.

A Spanish website called Pincha la Rueda de Hamilton (Burst Hamilton's Tyre) encourages visitors to drop imaginary nails, pins or porcupines on a mock-up of the Interlagos circuit to stop Hamilton from finishing the race. It is full of racist and personal abuse directed at the 23-year-old Briton.

Among the comments left by some of the 27,000-plus visitors to the site, are people referring to Hamilton as 'n*****', 'half-breed' and 'son of a b****'.

One, calling himself Carillo, tells Hamilton: 'Half-breed, kill yourself in your car.'

A message from a man called Alberto says: 'I hope you run over your dad in the first pit stop, Hamilton.'

In another posting, Charly writes: 'If you don't get a puncture, then Massa will crash into you.'

The website suggests that, if enough people participate, placing either nails, drawing pins or, bizarrely, porcupines on the track, they will be able to 'will' punctures to occur to Hamilton's car, in a similar way to voodoo practitioners sticking pins in an effigy.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been urged to make a formal protest to the Spanish government.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has condemned the abuse, saying: 'Discrimination and prejudice can have no place in sport or in society.'

The FIA is likely to raise the issue with the Real Federaci�n Espa�ola de Automovilismo, having previously threatened the Spanish motorsport authority with losing the Spanish Grand Prix if it did not get to grips with racism.

The website was originally launched after Hamilton and his former teammate Fernando Alonso had a bitter falling-out at McLaren last year.

But the Spaniard insisted on Thursday he had great respect for Hamilton.

'We speak together and we have no problems,' Alonso, now with Renault, said.

Hamilton was also abused by sections of the crowd during a pre-season test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona in February, when a group of Spanish fans blacked up their faces, wore wigs and T-shirts emblazoned with the words 'Hamilton's family', booed the British driver and called him a 'black s***'.

Hamilton, who leads Felipe Massa of Ferrari by seven points and needs to finish fifth to guarantee the title, made no direct comment on the latest affair.

But he insisted he felt calm and confident and wanted to enjoy the weekend, even if he is on the verge of making history.

He said: 'I feel it's just another race. That's the way to approach it. We are just here to do the best job we can.'

He felt that family support was vital to his performance.

'I know they are proud of me and they have worked just as hard as I have to get me here today... Without my family, I would not be here today.'

He did his best to win over the local fans by talking about his admiration for Sao Paulo's favourite son, the late triple champion Ayrton Senna.

'Every time I come here, I feel a different emotion,' he said, speaking on the 20th anniversary of Senna's first championship victory.

'I think it's because he meant so much to me in my life when I was younger and coming up through the ranks. I can feel his presence.'

But Brazilian fans are doing their best to distract Hamilton and help countryman Massa lift the world title.

On seeing Robert Kubica at a promotional event sponsored by BMW, racing fans shouted in English and Portuguese, 'Smash into Hamilton' and 'Force him off the track'.

Kubica, third in the drivers' standings, smiled and gave a thumbs-down signal.

Hamilton was also presented with a Vasco da Gama soccer shirt by a popular TV comedian Rafinha Bastos on Thursday. Relegation-threatened Vasco are a Rio de Janeiro club, never popular in Sao Paulo, and with a reputation for being runners-up. They are currently 19th in the 20-team Brazilian championship.

Shortly afterwards, a rival TV comedian Vesgo tossed him a soft toy black cat, a symbol of bad luck in Brazil.

Hamilton, who picked up the toy despite being urged not to, may have had the last laugh, however, since black cats are said to bring good fortune in Britain.

THE TIMES, LONDON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS