Q & A with Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: It was an amazing weekend - or an amazing Sunday at least - I'm not going to say it came as a surprise but it was something which I had worked hard for and was working for. I don't think we can compare any other race for it. It's my home Grand Prix - it stands for a lot and it was a special weekend for me. You have to put that in the back of your mind - it's something I can carry with me for the rest of my life.

But I think there are still nine races and the championship to keep pushing for. I want to win every race - I'm not here to win special races. Every race can be special, it's about how you win it and how you go about doing the business. We are just going to try and focus on building up some momentum and consistency.

Q. There were some interesting comments at Goodwood about pre-race nerves. Can you explain a bit more about what it's like?

LH: I'm human. There's nerves. Nerves of excitement and it's never nerves of thinking you might fail. It's just nerves of excitement and the adrenalin pumping and wondering whether you'll get the start perfect, what's going to happen in the first corner because it's unknown. You have absolutely no clue about what's going to happen - do you go left, do you go right, do you brake early, do you brake late, will you get hit from behind, will you get a flat tyre. There's so many questions and that's the exciting thing about it.

The nerves are how you control all that energy and try and maintain it during the race. That's always the key. I've had nerves since I started racing - every time it's the same before a race, that same excitement and as long as I have that always then I'll keep on doing what I'm doing.

Q. Do you try and keep to the same routine?

LH: No. There's no need for a routine. I'm not superstitious. I get changed when I need to get changed, I wear what I wear. Sometimes I wear completely new stuff for the race, it just depends on what I have in the wardrobe.

Q. Do you get different level of nerves? Before Brazil last year you looked particularly nervous. Is there a way to control it?

LH: I don't think there's a way to control it. It's just the way your body is. It is a state of mind but I have no ways or solutions or methods to deal with it. I've never been trained in it and I don't fell the need to be. That's the exciting part of being a racing driver. I'd have thought by now I'd have a regime and a way of making my mind set. I know how to get myself into the zone, but every time it's a different feeling, a different emotion, a different nerve, a different gut feeling.

It's always different, that's the cool thing. Every race of my life has been different and I've had a lot of races in my life. In Brazil it was another experience - I just wanted to finish the race and sometimes you have a feeling something could happen and go wrong. When it does it's like the whole world has fallen down on top of you.

Q. Was there anything you learned from the end of last season?

LH: Perhaps. I was always positive, but I took the mistakes and the bad weekends a lot more personal. This year, I'm a lot stronger as a person and as a driver I deal with it in a much better way. The bad races I've had this year I feel stronger. I don't feel I have to bounce back or recover - the next race is something different. There's always areas as a driver you have to improve on and you have to work on where they are. It's not always clear.

Q. Was Silverstone your most important win?

LH: It is. Apart from your first win in the sport, to win your home Grand Prix is something so special and so close to your heart it's difficult to explain it all. I had all my family there. My family had never been to a race before so had never heard what a Formula One car sounds like.

Q. Your whole family?

LH: I had all my aunties - the female side of the family! Quite a big group. I knew the whole country would be tuned in and watching to support me. It was just a special feeling. Then listening to the Wimbledon final on the way home - it was just a great weekend!

Q. There are some major regulations changes next year, have you been involved with the new car?

LH: Yes. Of course, I'm part of the team. We have a great team, they don't need to rely on me, but they need to question me and ask me what I think of certain things - pedal positions, steering positions etc.

Q. I'm talking more in terms of simulations from an aero point of view? How will it help you?

LH: I can only guess. When we have slick tyres we're going to get a lot of grip back but I can only say that from my experience of GP2 going from grooved tyres to slicks. Perhaps there'll be more overtaking. But I think we'll be even faster next year, even with the regulation changes. So they keep making these changes to slow us down and make it more competitive. I think it will be more competitive, but we'll be even faster. It'll be more exciting.

Q. Is Kimi's mentality as a Finn different to yours?

LH: The mentality of Finnish people and athletes specifically, there is a difference, yes. You can take something from that. When I go to Finland and see the way of life there, it's a great way of living, it's very quiet. I generally find myself going there and relaxing. It's so quiet by the lakes, sitting by the fire having sausages!

It's a cool way of life and for sure the mentality - I play Heikki at tennis and see the way he thinks and how easy it is for them to keep their minds straight. You can learn from that - it's a bonus for me to have the opportunity to work with a few Finnish people.