Lewis Hamilton has told Sky Sports News of his pleasure at having silenced the critics with his World Championship success.
"I still can't believe it," World Champion says
New Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has told
Sky Sports News of his pleasure at having silenced the critics with his title success.
The McLaren Mercedes driver beat Ferrari's Felipe Massa to the drivers' championship after finishing fifth in a nailbiting climax to last Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
"It feels incredible," Hamilton said. "I'm just very proud, proud of my team, proud of the people around me who've got me to where I am.
"I'm just thankful to have had the opportunity and I still can't believe it - it hasn't kicked in just yet."
Hamilton had looked set to miss out for a second successive year after falling to sixth place when rain started to fall during the closing laps at Interlagos.
However, Hamilton passed Timo Glock - who had stayed out on track rather than stopping for wet tyres - after the Toyota driver struggled for grip just a few hundred yards short of the chequered flag.
Massa won his home race, but Hamilton's late overtaking manoeuvre saw him take the title by a single point - a result which, according to the man himself, made his triumph all the more special.
"Definitely," Hamilton answered. "Throughout the year, it's been a tough season - there was a lot of ups and downs. I was in Brazil where everyone was, pretty much, supporting Felipe...and we still pulled through with all the tough things against us."
Criticism
Nevertheless, Hamilton has come in for criticism, not only for a driving style seen by some rivals as overly aggressive, but also for a self-confident attitude that has been perceived as arrogance.
And, although he admitted that "from time to time" he found such criticism wearing, Hamilton stressed that his love for the sport would always win out.
"It can be a gruesome world sometimes but it's also an amazing experience," he said. "So I wouldn't tell anyone to shy away from it. It's everything you can imagine.
"I'm just very blessed in life and I don't take any of that for granted."
Along with a stratospheric career, the 23-year-old also enjoys a millionaire lifestyle, something Hamilton said both he and his family have made plenty of sacrifices for - especially during his childhood.
"My dad had three or four jobs at one stage just to keep me go-karting, which is pretty insane," he said. "And still he was always happy and keeping pushing me.
"You know, I didn't do the normal things most teenagers would do. I always focused on my racing, I was always thinking about it. At school I was thinking about it. I was always taking time off, I wasn't spending time with friends.
"It's a different life. But it was all worth it, that's for sure."
Abuse
Hamilton also shrugged off the spectre of racism, which reared its head back in February when several spectators targeted the driver and his family at a test session in Barcelona.
A website was also set up ahead of last weekend's decisive race, on which hundreds of messages were posted abusing the Briton.
"I don't really tend to think about it too much. It was tough but it was something in the past - we move on," Hamilton added.
"The best thing was when I came to my home grand prix in Silverstone, I had the whole crowd - everyone, as many people came as was possible - a huge amount of support. And that's what sport's all about."
