Lewis Hamilton becomes his own man in proving decision to join Mercedes was right

Lewis Hamilton believes has grown into his own man at Mercedes after revealing he defied his father's advice in electing to leave McLaren for the then also-rans two years ago.

A cynic might also opine that the grid's fastest car may come in handy as well. Only six months ago, in the midst of Sebastian Vettel wrapping up his fourth consecutive title with nine successive race victories, Hamilton told reporters that he wouldn't want to win in such dominant, runaway fashion. In the wake of the Englishman's own two-month winning streak, those remarks have resurfaced for mischievous effect, yet the Mercedes driver is comfortable that his own current supremacy is of an altogether different ilk. "Even if we are a dominating team, I don't beat my team mate by 40 seconds," Hamilton countered. "Take the last race - it was six-tenths between us at the flag, which hasn't been often the case with the winner in the past four years. I want to be known for racing." Nor does Hamilton's four-race domination stand up to prolonged comparison to the four years of title doubles for the Red Bull-Vettel double act. In a different decade, and with a different team, Hamilton's solitary championship in 2008 seems like a lifetime ago. "To be honest it feels like such a long time ago that I don't really remember, so it feels fresh and new this year. It feels unknown. So even though I had the experience before, I really don't remember it much. When I won the championship I was pretty much used to winning championships, as I'd won championships in previous years. Now, though, it's been several years since I won the championship - and it feels brand new."