The question last night in the paddock at the Fuji Speedway, where the Japanese Grand Prix is being staged tomorrow, was not so much whether Lewis Hamilton is capable of winning the Formula One world championship this year, as whether he is capable of doing it fairly.

In a row that is sure to reignite the debate over Hamilton's driving, which is seen by his fans as displaying the attacking flair of a man destined to become one of the greats, but by his detractors as wild and on the edge of the rulebook, the McLaren Mercedes driver was accused by his rivals of unfair and even dangerous tactics.

Robert Kubica, the Polish BMW Sauber driver whom Hamilton has claimed in the past as a friend, told a German newspaper that Hamilton is dangerous and that most of his rivals on the grid are in agreement about it. “There are differences of philosophies,” Kubica said. “Either you drive hard but fair or you are overconfident and too aggressive.” Warming to his theme, the Pole said that a move by Hamilton on Timo Glock, the Toyota driver, at last month's Italian Grand Prix in Monza, when Glock's left-hand wheels were forced momentarily on to the grass, was unsafe. “What he did was too much and dangerous,” Kubica, who added that the manoeuvre had been discussed in drivers' meetings, said. “It has been a topic [in the meetings] and most see it the same way.”

Hamilton, who leads the World Championship from Felipe Massa, the Ferrari driver, by seven points, betrayed little emotion when Kubica's views were put to him in the McLaren hospitality area after two sessions of practice yesterday. He merely sounded wearily resigned to what he believes is the carping of rivals who do not like being beaten.

“I don't care what the other guys think. I'm here doing my own job,” he said. “I represent my team, myself, my family, my country and I do it the best way I can. At the end of the day there are always going to be people you are beating who aren't particularly happy about things, but that's motor racing.”

The episode underlines that the 23-year-old from Hertfordshire, who has taken Formula One by storm, has few friends on the grid bar Adrian Sutil, the German Force India driver. Among his more bitter rivals are Fernando Alonso, his former McLaren team-mate who is now with Renault, and Mark Webber, the Australian Red Bull driver.

Like Ayrton Senna, his hero, Hamilton is fast becoming the driver everyone wants to bring down, which in its way is among the biggest compliments the sport can offer. Few get to the top in Formula One without bruising the egos of others on the way and it seems that Hamilton is no exception. A problem for him, though, is that his attitude in the cockpit is attracting critical attention not only from his fellow drivers, but the FIA stewards who have picked him out on several occasions this season, not least at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa last month where he was demoted from first to third place for what amounted to overly aggressive tactics.

Hamilton, who won here last year in the rain, knows he must watch out if the stewards are not to play a decisive role in the destiny of this championship. “We have just got to try to avoid any potential, you know, speed humps that come along because there is always some kind of problem that appears in some way, shape or form,” he said in barely disguised code. “So we have to try and make sure we are prepared the best we can be.”

Hamilton earlier drove without incident throughout two long sessions of practice during which his car was more than a match for the Ferraris of Massa and his team-mate “in a supporting role”, the world champion, Kimi Raikkonen. Rows with his rivals apart, the Briton said that he was trying not to think too much about his fans who are watching his every move as the season reaches its climax.

“I look at magazines less, I look at websites less,” he said. “I'm never at my computers. I never read my e-mails, except on my BlackBerry. I just try to avoid it for now. But I know that my fans have been with me for ages and I have no doubt they are supporting me. I am trying not to focus on that until I have got the job done. Then, I'll think about all that.”