Question: So let’s rewind back to the 2010 championship. It was one of the hardest fought ever. You could have bagged the title, but in the end you were left in P4. After all that work and all that effort, how have you coped with such a result?
Lewis Hamilton: That’s sport. There’s always going to be a winner and there’s always going to be a loser. Firstly, it was an honour to be fighting and battling with four absolutely world-class drivers for the 2010 title. To have taken the fight to the final round for the third time in my four seasons in Formula One was a considerable achievement, and one that I’m proud of. But, as I’ve always said, I’ll keep looking forward. I learn from the good things and the bad things that happen in this sport and I put everything to good use to improve for the future. It’s 2011, so I’m not looking back at 2010. I’m fitter than ever, I hope we’ve built another strong car and I’m looking forward to winning more races. With a field as strong as the one we had in 2010, and the drivers I’ll be racing in 2011, it’s never going to be easy to win consistently, but that’s half the fun - sometimes. I’m simply looking forward to another fantastic year.
Question: Formula One pundit and former F1 driver Martin Brundle has said that this year you and team mate Jenson Button have to come out of your ‘cosy corner’. I guess many in the paddock didn’t know that there is such a thing at McLaren…
Lewis Hamilton: We’re both racers, but we’re both sensible. We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car? As we’ve said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the world championship. What’s the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place? Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we’ve both grown up within British motorsport, we’ve shared a lot of the same experiences and it’s brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the world championship for ourselves and our team.
Question: You are of course aiming again for the title this year after last tasting title success in 2008. What makes you think that the MP4-26 can help you do it?
Lewis Hamilton: Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you’ll be in at the first race. All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be. Will that be good enough? We won’t know until we get to Bahrain next month.
Question: Finally, do you have a message for Renault’s Robert Kubica as he recovers from his serious rally crash on Sunday?
Lewis Hamilton: I’ve raced against Robert on many occasions and he is a fantastic driver and a great guy to race against - very tough, but fair and somebody you can always trust. I was extremely concerned when I heard about his accident. My thoughts really go out to him and I hope and pray that he’ll be able to make a full and speedy recovery and that he’ll be back racing with us all very soon.
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