Lewis on Lewis

SO,

At the annual Autosport Awards ceremony, erstwhile 2007 Championship leader and apparent new face of Formula One Lewis Hamilton was quizzed on his year to date. Here are some of the best bits…

You have had an extraordinary season. What was it like heading into Melbourne?

LH: Well, the first year, (after) working so hard to get there, I didn't feel like a rookie. I was given such a great opportunity so I grabbed it with both hands.

My engineer and I at McLaren, we made sure we didn't leave a stone unturned so we could go to the first race as well prepared as we could. So I got to the first race and, for sure, probably the other guys didn't anticipate me being so quick - which is a good thing to catch them by surprise!

That was how I probably did so well at the first corner, but I think they caught on after that. I was given a lot of respect, but they quickly realised I wasn't here to mess around.

For you what was the high-spot - the first win, the first pole?

LH: It is difficult to say if there was one particular high spot. To be honest it was an amazing rollercoaster. To get to the first grand prix and to get the first podium is something you can only dream of.

And then to continue that, and to finally get the first win and first pole - I really remember that. I had nearly put it in the wall but managed to get the lap. It really was just an amazing emotional ride throughout the year.

What would you say was your best overtaking move?

LH: Probably Monza. I really just wanted to do a 1-2 for the team, so I had to make sure I got past Kimi (Raikkonen). I had two laps to do it with brand new tyres and he was on old tyres as he had only done one pit stop. I didn't actually realise until I saw the replay how far back I was.

It didn't work out in the last few races of the season. What lessons do you take from that in 2008?

LH: To always keep your head up. I went into those last races and what was important was that I still had support from the team. And with all the problems we had to deal with, the atmosphere within the team to support me remained the same. It really showed that if you work, keep your head down and stay focused you can achieve it.

You can't win all the time, but you have to lose to learn how to win. We didn't get the championship, but perhaps it was a good thing. So we will be working twice as hard next year.

FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW, GO TO http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64248