Lewis - 'Better feeling' at McLaren

Hamilton: 100 percent committed

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Twelve months on from the spying scandal that rocked the world of Formula One, Lewis Hamilton is hoping to capitalise on the "better feeling" existing within the McLaren Mercedes team and boost his World Championship credentials at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Last year's race at Spa-Francorchamps came just three days after McLaren were fined an unprecedented sum of $100 million by the sport's FIA governing body after it found them guilty of receiving and disseminating confidential information belonging to rivals Ferrari.

The team were thrown out of the 2007 Constructors' Championship and although Hamilton and then team-mate Fernando Alonso were allowed to race for the drivers' title, the Briton claimed that morale within the McLaren camp was deeply affected.

However, Hamilton, who attended the Paris meeting which decided McLaren's fate last year when he would normally have been embarking on his race weekend, says their situation is rather different heading into this year's race.

"There's a huge difference this year compared to last," said Hamilton, who currently holds a six-point lead in the Drivers' Championship. "We've moved on. There's a much better feeling being here, and we are challenging for the World Championship, not just trying to stay in it.

"Last year when I walked the track I didn't even know if I would be racing, whereas this year we don't have any of those stresses. We're a strong team with a real good atmosphere throughout, and we are 100 percent committed to winning the Championship."

Staying strong

Despite questioning in the heat of the moment whether he wanted to remain in a sport that was so politically orientated, Hamilton, a rookie last season, decided instead to try and put his inexperience to one side and lead from the front.

"Everything was new to me. It was my first time in a Formula One car," he continued. "To be here for the first time, and there are other things going on within the team, you feel bad for the team.

"All you want to do is pull through for them and stay strong for them, and that's what Fernando and I did. We stayed strong for the team, and that's why we were reasonably competitive, and why we managed to hold out for the rest of the season."

However, Hamilton's inexperience ultimately proved his undoing as mistakes made in the final two races allowed Kimi Raikkonen to overcome a 17-point deficit and snatch the title at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

Things started to unravel at the preceding Chinese Grand Prix, where, pushing for victory on worn tyres, Hamilton instead slid into a gravel trap after McLaren finally elected to bring him in for a new set.

However, Hamilton now says he has learned that, when it comes to winning the World Championship, consistency counts for more than outright glory over the course of a season.

"Last year I wasn't focused on the championship," he added. "I was so happy to be here. It was all very overwhelming for me. I was living the dream.

"This year I'm a fully-fledged Formula One driver and I am here to win the championship, and whatever that takes. That means scoring points and staying out in front, so I have to make sure I finish the remaining six races with as many points as possible."