LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton said his confidence remained unshaken despite a pit-lane blunder that knocked himself and Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen out of last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old McLaren driver lost the Formula One championship lead and was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for next week's French Grand Prix after the collision.

"This will make no difference," Tuesday's British newspapers quoted Hamilton as saying.

"It hasn't knocked me confidence-wise. I'm not gutted or disappointed."

"It is not going to take me a day to recover or anything. I will be up first thing training and really looking forward to Magny-Cours."

The Briton ploughed into the back of world champion Raikkonen's stationary Ferrari at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday after the Finn had stopped for a red light at the pit lane exit.

The light was on because the safety car was deployed while marshals removed Adrian Sutil's stranded Force India from the side of the track.

Raikkonen said afterwards that the collision was inexplicable and stupid.

"The rule is silly," Hamilton told the Daily Express.

"We are in the race, how can you red light at the end of the pit-lane? But that's the rule and I accept it."

"I start 10 places back in the next race. It's a bit harsh, I didn't aim to ruin anyone's race," he added.

LEADING RACE

"Going forward, the mood is strong. The fact is we destroyed everyone at the weekend. With the car we have right now there is no stopping us."

Hamilton had been leading the race until he pitted and the incident allowed BMW Sauber's Polish driver Robert Kubica to win and surge four points clear.

McLaren's Finnish head of team performance Aki Hintsa said Hamilton, last year's championship runner-up after Raikkonen beat him by a single point, was now better prepared than in his rookie season.

"We have sophisticated ways of measuring these things and I can tell you Lewis has improved physically and mentally since the start of the season," he told British reporters.

"His statistics are very impressive and from those I can tell you this will not affect him one little bit. When he knows the car he has is the quickest on the circuit he is pretty much unbeatable, an incredible specimen in any sport."

Triple champion Jackie Stewart said, however, that Hamilton was paying a price for his lack of experience.

"He presents himself as so mature but it's impossible to become Einstein overnight," the Scot told the Daily Mail.

"You simply can't go straight from kindergarten to university. When he looks back in four or five years he will question himself about what sort of person and driver he was in 2007 and 2008."

(Editing by John O'Brien)