World champ Lewis Hamilton believes the tough race in Melbourne has taught him not to give up
World champ Lewis Hamilton believes the tough race in Melbourne has taught him not to give up
World Champion Lewis Hamilton says his drive from 18th on the grid in Melbourne to a third place finish has taught him a valuable lesson never give up.
The McLaren driver crossed the line fourth in a race that was won by Jenson Button, but was later promoted to third when Jarno Trulli received a time penalty for overtaking in a safety-car period.
"I'm a fighter, I've never given up at any stage of my motorsport career both on and off the track and last weekend was the same," he said ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.
"I pushed like crazy on every single lap of the race, always looked for the gap and worked with the team over the radio to find every possible way of making us go quicker.
Asked what he learned from the race, he said it was never to throw in the towel.
"I learnt to never, ever, ever, give up," he said.u00a0 "We showed in Brazil last year that we would always fight until the very end, and we showed it again in Melbourne.
"I'll never give up when I'm in the cockpit I want to race as hard as I can and I'm looking forward to getting closer to the front and mixing it with the leaders again.
"Also, Melbourne gave us a clearer idea of which teams have done the best job over the winter. I've got to say again how much respect and admiration I've got for Ross Brawn and all the men and women at Brawn GP."
World-class teamLooking ahead to Sunday's 56-lap race at the Sepang circuit, Hamilton admitted his car was still underachieving. But he remains confident. "Yes, because we haven't forgotten how to win," said Hamilton, who became the youngest person to win the drivers' championship last year.
"We're a world-class team and while we're not yet at the front, everything within the McLaren Technology Centre is equipped to help us get back there as quickly as possible.
"From the strategists, the manufacturing capacity, the management, the mechanics everybody has what it takes to win Grand Prix and world championships," he added.
