• 2010 Season

Hamilton to draw on past experiences

Hamilton: 'People only see my career in Formula One' © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Lewis Hamilton

• Teams:
• McLaren

Lewis Hamilton says he will start the new Formula One season a more mature character, claiming he has learnt plenty from experiences of the past.

Hamilton will team up with Jenson Button, looking to regain the drivers' title from his McLaren partner, and he feels he will be able to call on past experiences at crucial times.

Despite winning the title in 2008, he has had to battle through a number of problems including the 'spygate' and 'liegate' controversies, but is ready to draw on all of his experiences in 2010.

"People only see my career in Formula One," Hamilton said. "They don't see what I did before I got here and the struggles I had in different years and different races.

"I have been in positions where I've not been competitive enough and struggled to compete for a good position. It's just that doing it in Formula One is even harder than in those other times because you're in the public eye. But the experiences of knowing how to deal with it, how to handle yourself through the pressure times, and how you carry yourself have definitely helped round me a little bit."

For the first time in his career, Hamilton will start the new season not having his father, Anthony, as his manager after the pair opted to split. The 25-year-old admits it is strange no longer having his father at his side, but feels he will benefit from the move.

"It definitely feels different but it feels good," he said. "I've probably had the most relaxed time I've ever had. I don't know why. I think I'm just in a different place, different frame of mind compared to the past.

"For me it's not about being in charge. It's a different feeling, a different position to be in, a way of lightening the load. I'm no more in charge than when my dad was here. It's not like he was in charge or anything, he was just there to support me. I guess it's about growing up, a mixture of things really.

"My family have been to every single race since I was a kid, and yet I look at the other drivers and they're standing on their own two feet."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.