World champion Lewis Hamilton will be back in the spotlight on Thursday after being summoned by Formula One's governing body to appear in the official press conference for the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton, who trails his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 33 points with only four rounds left, courted criticism at the last race in Japan after he played around on his mobile phone during the pre-race media session.
The Briton, 31, subsequently cancelled two sessions with the written press following what he deemed as disrespectful coverage of his antics on Snapchat during the televised press conference.
He also hinted that he may not participate in further media sessions with the print media, while also blocking a number of journalists on Twitter.
But the FIA have called on Hamilton to appear alongside five of his peers at their pre-race press conference in Austin on Thursday, an obligation which is mandatory for drivers under the sport's regulations.
And, according to the schedule released by his Mercedes team, Hamilton is also due to fulfil his written media commitments after qualifying and the race.
The championship battle is now out of Hamilton's hands after he finished only third in Japan while Rosberg sauntered to his fourth victory from five races.
But Hamilton will head to Austin - the scene of his third championship triumph last year - still hopeful that he can prevent Rosberg from winning the title.
" We've got four races left to make the most of it and that's exactly what I plan to do,'' said Hamilton.
"It's just about hitting every race weekend as hard as I can, going all out for every win and seeing what happens from there. I'll be holding nothing back out there.
"I've got some great memories from Austin, with three wins from four races and, of course, the title win last year. That was one of the highlights of my career, no doubt.
"It's almost like the American fans have adopted me as their own, so I'll try to channel all of that positive energy into this weekend.''
Source: PA
