Q & A with Lewis Hamilton

The Brion explained his views ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix and AUTOSPORT was there.

Q. You were quite frustrated immediately after the Australian Grand Prix by the strategy decision taken by McLaren. Now you've talked things through with the team, are the lessons all understood?

Lewis Hamilton: I think the situation is understood. We sat down together afterwards. I went back to the garage and was happy for the guys. To see them all in the red [victory] t-shirts was a great feeling. Whether I win or my team-mate wins it is a great feeling, because that is what we worked so hard to get. It is the one special thing the team gets to experience during a race weekend. We enjoy that and, of course, we were all feeling it - my engineers - but we are making split second decisions and we are also still trying to understand how long these tyres will last with this non-refuelling. I don't think we thought the tyres would last that long.

For me, I am so passionate about the racing. My heart was seriously so into it, and my adrenaline sky-rocketed. I had just been taken out by another car, so you don't always say the right things when you get out. After sitting down with the guys in the garage, I had a good understanding of why we did it. And from that experience, we will definitely take it forward for the next race and future races.

Q. Was it so frustrating because you had such a sensational race and were charging through the field?

LH: I think to have finished would have been fine. The most frustrating part was being taken out. It is like climbing a ladder and then slipping a couple of steps after you have worked so hard to get to that point. That is all. That was the feeling - but it is motor racing and that is why motor racing is so exciting.

Q. A lot of experts were saying it was one of your best races in Melbourne. Does that bode well that it will soon be you back on the top step of the podium?

LH: I think nothing has changed. The fact is that I have got a very competitive team-mate, which is great as it is what we need as a team. Honestly, I was just so happy for Jenson because he is a great guy, and a great part of the team. I do feel at some stage that I will get my chance to win races - and we are only two races into the season. I think the pace showed that I definitely had the pace in the race at least, as quick as the front guys - but definitely having a race like that lifts you up after a tough weekend overall. It definitely lifts you up - and gives you that confidence that you are still there again.

Q. In the early stages of the race in Melbourne, did you not consider switching to dry tyres like Jenson?

LH: No, because when I started the race I was told that the rain was there - and it was going to stop for 30 minutes and then rain again. So, it is quite a risky decision to take - if you call the team to ask for dry tyres and it rains again you will look silly. I was asking the team questions, but at the time it wasn't right for me.

Q. Where do you see McLaren now stacking up against Ferrari and Red Bull Racing?

LH: Still in the same spot. In qualifying, our pace is clearly not as quick as theirs. I think generally they have more downforce and more grip than us, but I think we've got good end of straight speed. Our race pace is stronger than our qualifying pace, so we still have a lot of work to do to catch them up. But it is comforting seeing that we have got strong race pace, and can compete with them.

Q. Before the second stop, did you not ask the team why you had to come in again? Robert Kubica reckoned if you had got past him you had the speed to go for the win.

LH: I did feel that way, definitely. I definitely feel I had the pace to do that. When you are in the car and you are focusing on so many different things in the car, you don't always have time to question it. If they call you in and say 'in two laps you are going to be pitting' then you might have time to think about it. But it was literally two or three corners before when they said 'box this lap'. You then don't really have much time to think about it. You have to think about your pit entry, not losing time in there, getting in and out as fast as possible. To spend the time on the radio, you might miss something that they communicate to you. So I didn't think about it.

Q. What was your reaction to the comments made the Prime Minister of Victoria about what happened to you on the Friday in Melbourne? And also how do you judge the rumours that Jean Todt wants a code of conduct for F1 drivers when they are out on the road?

LH: I just think it is not something I think about. I am happy. I have had a good beginning to this week trying to move on from last week. We've already been there, talked about it and things have been said. For me, it is in the past. As a racer, I have to move forward. I cannot be stuck in the past because otherwise I would not be able to move forward. I don't know, and haven't read, what has been in the papers - so I don't know what Jean Todt is supposed to have said, but all I know is that I have the support of the FIA and that is a good thing.

Q. It looks like it will rain on Sunday around 5pm, as it has done in recent days. Is that something you are afraid of?

LH: Rain is never something I am afraid of. If you look at my track history in the wet, it is pretty good. I generally get on quite well in the wet races. I prefer a dry race, of course, but we've had too much rain here today! We couldn't race in this.

Q. What is the explanation in Australia for you being able to follow others cars so much better?

LH: In Bahrain I tried to do the same thing, but in the higher speed corners it is harder to follow. In Australia, for example, you cannot follow through Turn 11 and 12 very closely, or Turn 14. But you can follow most other corners, and then you have slow speed corners, which is where mechanical grip comes in. And that is where you can get closer, so I think that is why we were able to get so close through the slow speed corners and then follow them down the straight.