Lewis Hamilton remains defiant about his decision not to attend the Formula One event held in London as a precursor to Sunday’s British Grand Prix. He was the only one of the 20 drivers not to take part, instead opting to take a two-day holiday in Greece as the best way to prepare.

When Hamilton’s name was announced at the F1 show in Trafalgar Square attended by 100,000 fans and organised by the sport’s new owners, the Formula One Group, it was booed. His rationale for being absent has been questioned, especially given his oft-repeated desire to connect with his fans, but he is insistent he made the right decision.

For Hamilton preparation for the race was the priority. “Everyone had the right to make the decision for themselves,” he said. “I felt it’s been a pretty intense season so far and I felt it’s the best way to prepare. The season is the most important thing for me. That’s it.

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“I feel like I’ve said all I want to say. I think I do try to connect with the fans. I try to engage as much as I can. Fans mean everything. They always have.”

The three-times world champion also denied his not attending the event reflected any lack of passion for the British Grand Prix. “I love this race,” he said. “I don’t feel that Wednesday plays any role in how important this weekend is for me. Every season for the last 10 years has been incredible. You get people who have saved up so much to come to this grand prix and I think you will see how much I appreciate and respect that.”

The drivers who took part in London were enthusiastic over how well the show had gone. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso believed it had been important in attracting fans. “For many people there it was the first time they had watched Formula One,” he said. “I read the comments on social media and now they want to come to a grand prix. That is probably the main purpose, to engage new people and show what F1 is to a new generation.”

Hamilton has won at Silverstone four times and, should he triumph on Sunday, he would join Jim Clark and Alain Prost with the most victories. He would also equal Clark’s achievement of winning four British GPs in a row.

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Hamilton’s focus has been on again performing at his best at his home grand prix. “Ultimately we have decisions to make and we have to stand firm with those decisions and feel proud of the decisions we make,” he said. “I will give everything to shine as much light and raise the flag in the best way I can. The goal is to win the British Grand Prix. I’ve been proud and fortunate in the last few years to do that and the aim is to do that again this weekend.”

He trails Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by 20 points and leads his Mercedes team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, by 15. He has not won since the Canadian Grand Prix and in the past two races finished fifth in Azerbaijan, after pitting to secure a loose headrest, and was fourth in Austria after taking a five-place grid penalty and beginning the race in eighth place.