Hamilton: "Mistakes Have Only Made Me Stronger"

Lewis Hamilton revealed the troublesome start of the season in 2009 has only made him stronger and more determined for the future. The reigning world champion seemed to have started this year's campaign just great, following his 3rd place at Melbourne. What happened next, however, turned his season into a disaster.

The fact that he lied to the FIA stewards regarding his on-track incident with Jarno Trulli in the Aussie race, the criticism in the media that soon followed, the slow development of the McLaren MP4-24 and the racism from the Spanish fans have certainly not been easy things to handle for the young Brit.

As he admitted he has been through some rough times lately – and apologizing to the media for his cold relationship with the journalists in the last few months – Hamilton insisted all his past mistakes have contributed to him being a better man for the future. As far as racing goes, he argued McLaren have made some huge steps forward, which are likely to be seen at the Turkish GP next month.

“I am not perfect, I am not a politician, I say things wrong every now and then. I'm sure everyone does. You try to learn from those experiences, carry them with you and try to grow. I've had a world championship which is something I am still very proud to have. I am trying just now to build on those bricks and keep getting better,” said Hamilton in a media outing in Monaco.

“It hasn't been a great start to the year, but everyone knows that. It's been very, very tough. As we get more into the season it's getting more exciting for us. You may not see it so much from the outside but we've made huge steps forwards, even if not so huge here because of the type of circuit it is. But we've made some great steps. That's the exciting thing.”