The way I drive, the way I handle a car, is an expression of my inner feelings.
Lewis Hamilton
I don't aspire to be like other drivers - I aspire to be unique in my own way.
You can knock me down, but I get up twice as strong.
As a driver, you've always got to believe in your heart that you've got what it takes to win it. You've always got to believe in yourself. You've always got to arrive on the day and believe it can happen. You've always got to believe in the positives.
I'm willing to take any amount of pain to win.
I feel like people are expecting me to fail; therefore, I expect myself to win.
Everyone loves a winner. That's just how the world is. And Ayrton Senna was one of the greatest winners this sport has ever had.
It's important for everyone to stand up for what they believe in.
I think my style is definitely urban chic. I love mixing street style with the high-end luxury brands, like Gucci, for example. Quite fun.
Tupac is my favorite artist, and he had mad style.
Everyone has complicated lives, but the more you can simplify it and make it work for you, the better it is going to be.
On my back, I have the cross and angel wings: rise above it, no matter what life throws at you. And also, you know, Jesus rose from the grave.
Every person I have met who has gone vegan says it is the best decision they have ever made.
You just need to be accepted for who you are and be proud of who you are and that is what I'm trying to do.
I've accomplished more than I ever dreamed. But I'm hungry for more.
Ayrton Senna was an incredible legend who will be remembered and admired forever.
I don't believe I have a playboy life.
I enjoy trying to develop a car and Mercedes are one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world.
People need to remember that I am the first black driver in F1, so I am obviously going to be different to past drivers.
My job is to get into the car and drive as fast and as well as possible.
Number one is a great thing, and I'll always know that I'm number one, but 44 is my favourite number, so I want to keep it on the car.
When I was younger, all of my family's money went into racing. We were never a stylish family. We never went shopping, because all the money went into buying tires and fuel and all of that.
It is open for anyone to have freedom of speech, and I guess we can all play a role in trying to make a difference in the world. Particularly if your leader is not helping in that area.
Lots of other drivers like cycling, but I'm not so keen. I have some really cool bikes, but I'm just not in love with it like Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso.
My immediate family are from the West Indies - from Trinidad and Grenada - and I have relatives all over the Caribbean.
I'm an extremist so I'm either hated or loved. I think it's down to when I first got to Formula One not always knowing what I was saying, saying things that mean one thing but people were taking the other way and then people don't forget.
I'm definitely conscious of time. I already waste so much of it, just on a flight. I look back to when I was 13, and I wish I had stuck with my piano studies.
Every lap is different.
It's a pretty cool feeling to be the person to knock down a barrier - just like the Williams sisters did in tennis or Tiger Woods in golf.
I hate losing. It doesn't matter if it's racing or playing Ping-Pong - I hate it.
I don't think you can fully call yourself a vegan if you wear leathers.
There are times when you are growing through experiences, but sometimes there is a point of diminishing returns in terms of growth.
I listen to music before every race. Generally, there will be a song I'll get into over the weekend, and I play it all weekend, particularly when I'm getting ready for a race.
I get kids from all different cultures and nationalities coming up to me now, all wanting to be F1 drivers. They feel the sport is open to everyone.
You save most fuel by lifting and coasting in the heavy braking zones at the end of long straights into slow corners.
Sometimes, I arrive at races more energetic and clear-minded than ever, and then I have a terrible race. And the opposite is also true.
I love my ink. They all have a meaning. I'm very strong in my faith, so I wanted to have some religious images. I've got Pieta, a Michelangelo sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after he came off the cross, on my shoulder. A sacred heart on my arm. Musical notes because I love music. The compass on my chest is there because church is my compass.
I had a lot of racism growing up where I grew up. Bullied at school. It definitely encouraged me. It's like battle wounds - you come out the other side, and it just makes you tougher.
Since I started driving in F1 in 2006-07, the cars have got slower and easier to drive.
I like taking risks. I like trying new things, whether it be style or restaurants or whatever.
When I was really young, I busted my nose when I was racing. The first thing my dad asked me was: 'Are you OK?' I said, 'Can you fix the car for tomorrow?' And I won the race the next day.
Ayrton Senna was my favorite driver who I wanted to be like.
I relate my life a lot to 'Cool Runnings,' the movie.
I think it's a shame that people are so quick to put you in a box; sometimes it's as if you do one thing, and that's all you're allowed to do.
When you're driving on a normal track, you can see the braking point from 500 m. away.
Racing is what I love, so it's pretty simple. I want to keep doing it and keep winning.
I train to quite an intense level because Formula 1 is so physical - the G-forces, the demands on your body. Your heart rate is 150, 160 through the whole race. On qualifying lap, your heart rate can be up to 180, 190, under tough conditions.
Despite the name, 'lift and coast' does not mean cruising. You're trying to be as fast as you can, and you're still going through the corner on the limit, but you have to approach the corner slightly differently; otherwise, you won't make the end of the race.
I don't drive by the seat of my pants and happen to win races. I work very hard to interpret the data and drive a certain way. My engineers have confidence in me, and more often than not, when I tell them what I need or what I am feeling with the car, it's right.
Formula 1 is the sort of place where people tend to have an opinion about everything, and usually, they tend to believe their own opinion is the right one, even if it relates to someone else.
