Why there are no dark clouds over Hamilton

We are witnessing a very different Lewis Hamilton this season, one that in many ways takes me back to his debut year in Formula 1 in 2007.

Back then Hamilton was a fresh-faced, wide-eyed rookie, appreciative that after years of toil - including by father Anthony, who once held down three jobs to pay for his son's rise up the motorsport ladder - he had finally realised his dream of reaching F1.

Hamilton was understandably engaging, with an interesting story to tell. The then 22-year-old was polite, well-mannered, well-spoken.

At one of his first press engagements that year, I recall there must have been around 15 members of the media there to greet him.

When he entered the room Hamilton was slightly taken aback at the number - small by today's standards - but he made a point of shaking everybody's hand.

Over time some of those finer points to Hamilton's character were worn away, and for a variety of reasons.

Standing in F1's spotlight must at times be blinding, leading to a driver losing his way; the pressure is also stultifying, and there can be no doubt Hamilton has faced his fair share this past decade.

But all too often he reacted to it, sometimes with tempestuousness on track, losing his cool and getting involved in incidents that belied his talent.

Off track there's been a mix of the occasional bizarre comment or a sullen mood as more often than not Hamilton allowed personal events away from F1 to affect him.

We've seen brilliance on one hand mixed with brooding on the other, and primarily we have applauded him.

In an era when many people in the public eye have hidden their true characters due to the proliferation of multi/social media, Hamilton chose to wear his heart on his sleeve and put his emotions out there for the all the world to see.

It has often been my contention that Hamilton in his twenties was actually Hamilton the teenager.

Remember that through his teenage years Hamilton was sheltered, driven and focused, with a nurturing, protective arm around him from the age of 13 when he signed up to the McLaren/Mercedes-Benz young driver programme.

By the time he was unleashed into the world of F1 he effectively still had a lot to learn about life.

For many people that would happen in private, but for Hamilton it was very much done in public - and at McLaren, a team that, when Ron Dennis was team principal, liked to control its drivers.

What we saw at times was teenage angst; growing pains, if you will.

Once Hamilton left for Mercedes at the start of 2013, the shackles were cast aside; here at last was the freedom - of expression, of character - he had been yearning for, the opportunity to find the real man beyond his racing-driver persona.

Throw in the fact that Mercedes handed Hamilton a title-winning car, and the now 31-year-old is more relaxed and composed than ever.

Matching the triple-championship haul of his hero, Ayrton Senna, cannot be underestimated.

It's striking that nothing now fazes Hamilton.

In the past, if any team-mate had won the opening three races of a season - as Nico Rosberg has done this year - and Hamilton had been plagued with the difficulties, both technical and on track, that have undermined his performances, we would be watching and listening to a more sullen man.

The peak of the cap would be pulled down, the shoulders hunched, the tone of voice low, the answers clipped.

Instead we have a Hamilton who, following his seventh place in China that capped a weekend to forget, declared: "I definitely don't feel the dark cloud that I've had in the past."

Here he was recognising that the Hamilton of old could on occasion be morose, and not in the right place mentally, when the chips were down.

He continued: "Of course it's a trying time, and there are lots of different emotions and thoughts going through my mind as you see the season has started the wrong way, that the championship, which is your goal, is moving further away from you.

"But this is a part of motor racing, a part of the journey, and through these experiences, not only for myself, but for my mechanics, my engineers, it brings us closer, it makes us stronger."

When it was suggested to Hamilton that he's now more laid-back compared to two, three, four years ago, he said: "My mentality is absolutely different, more of a relaxed vibe.

"It doesn't mean I'm not unhappy. There's a long way to go, so there's no reason to be stressed about it, or to dwell on what just happened.

"All I can do is try to shape the future. That's really what I'm putting my energy towards. Zero energy to what's behind me, 100 per cent energy to what's in front of me."

Hamilton further recognised the voyage he's been on, adding: "Since I've been in Formula 1 my friends have been like, 'You don't know who you are' and I guess searching for yourself.

"I don't know. I just feel happy and comfortable. I don't really know how to explain it."

Let's leave it to Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, who's become close to Hamilton in recent years, to put it all into context and clarify the transformation that's unfolded.

"He's in a great place," said Wolff. "The development I've seen with him as a personality is mind-blowing over the three years he's been with the team.

"He's won two championships and found himself as a person.

"And you can imagine how much pressure he has on him with all the people who criticise.

"Nevertheless he follows his instinct, follows his way, and that seems to be functioning, and for the team it's great."

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- The Autosport.com Team

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