Grapevine: Hamilton leaving UK for Switzerland

The McLaren driver has become an instant celebrity in his home country, with daily newspapers reporting about the 22-year-old almost on a daily basis. This includes accounts of his personal life and relationship.

But Hamilton said the decision to move to Switzerland was due to his lack of anonymity in the UK and the limitation it places on his movements.

"Over there (in Switzerland) people don't come up to you, they leave you alone and give you space," he told the BBC. "I'm going to a country that I don't know but it's very exciting."

"It was a tough decision. My dream for years was to move to London - I stayed at a friend's house this weekend in London and I woke up in the morning and just knew it was where I wanted to be.

"But I'll meet new people, new faces, and I do have a few friends there and my family and friends from home will be able to come and visit me."

Hamilton, who already hinted about the move earlier this year, said losing his privacy once he became a Formula One star did not surprise him, but never the less has been a burden on him.

"When I was coming up (into Formula One) I knew there were sacrifices you have to make," he said. "You lose your ability to go places - you don't understand what that means until you get there and you really struggle to lead a normal life.

"I haven't been able to spend much time with my friends or my family - it's not like a normal job, you're travelling all the time, you live out of your suitcase and it's tough to manage that and still live a normal life.

"When you come home and everybody knows you, it makes it so much harder to do normal things. I can't go to the cinema. I go to the bathroom in a petrol station and people come in there for autographs."