Lewis Hamilton feeling better than ever in F1

Lewis Hamilton has vowed he won’t let any extracurricular activities derail his bid to retain the World Championship and revealed he has never felt better during his F1 career.

Hamilton, who still remains locked in negotiations with Mercedes over a new contract, was a ringside spectator for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather superfight in Las Vegas last week before returning to Europe for this weekend’s Spanish GP at Barcelona. The 30-year-old also raised eyebrows in February when he attended the Brit Awards the night before testing at the Circuit de Catalunya and has made no secret of his interest in music away from the track.

But armed with a healthy lead in the title race, and with his globetrotting adventures facilitated by a private jet, a fully-focused Hamilton is adamant that nothing will get in the way of him landing a third title.

“This is the happiest l’ve been for a long, long time career-wise. Outside, it’s great when you can do the things you want to do knowing they are not a distraction and then you can perform,” he said. “I’m very careful with the things l choose to do.

“In the car I feel the best I have ever been and I’m very happy with how it has gone this year. I left the last race sitting on the plane thinking ‘it has been a great couple of weeks’. When you have had a season like we had last year it is not easy to continue or do better and the surprising thing is that it has been better than last year. But there is still a long, long way to go. Others will be working very hard and l will need to continue to be innovative with what I do on the track.”

Hamilton currently boasts a 27-points advantage at the top of the standings and appears to be at the peak of his powers after winning three of the opening four events this term in sublime fashion.

“I definitely feel more comfortable in this year’s car. It is very much the same car with the same characteristics – just better,” he added. "In the areas I had trouble with last year, I've worked hard with my engineers and the guys in the factory to iron them out."

Looking relaxed and confident, Hamilton also revealed that he had adapted his driving style this year in a bid to extract more speed from his Mercedes W06.

“It’s about trying new things and new approaches to techniques such as engine braking, accelerations, and all those different things. I’ve been trying to put new things into the mix and see if they work - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't - and when I'm driving against a competitor it is about not using the same pattern."

However, Hamilton was more reticient on his contract situation with Mercedes. A month after telling reporters that an agreement over an extension was “99.6%” done, the Englishman has still yet to put pen to paper.

“There’s nothing I can comment on at the moment," he cautioned. "I’ve read it several times – I’m now fluent in lawyer jargon and I could pretty much write my own contract now."

The wait goes on, though, for Hamilton to write his own name onto the dotted line in a deal which is poised to make him Britain’s highest-paid sportsman.