Prior to the 2009 season we visited our very own newly crowned Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, as he prepared to defend his title…

Lewis appeared several times on Mobil 1 the Grid Series 1, starting with our exclusive Lewis Hamilton Interview and F1 Preview both in episode 1. He also appeared in the Interlagos Venue Guide in episode 3 and as a VIP Master of Ceremonies at the Formula Kart Stars event which we featured in episode 7. Finally, in episode 16 Lewis Mid Season saw us catch up with the champ at the half way point of what was proving to be a very difficult year.
But there was more! Here are some of the special moments from our chats with Lewis that didn’t make it onto the show;

 You're welcome to read the entire transcript below or watch at the slightly cut-down video feature.

LEWIS, HOW DOES A 24 YEAR OLD FROM STEVENAGE SPEND THEIR OFF-SEASON AFTER BECOMING FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPION?

I pretty much tried to switch off from, from racing, and tried to go back to living a normal life and not thinking about motor racing and about cars. I mean every now and then I check on the internet, check the race updates of what’s actually going on, but I try to stand back from it. I started my new training program at the beginning of January and I spent some time with the family, catching up with friends, and then we had the launch of the new car. And since then it’s been pretty chock a block.

YOU WON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND THEN YOU HEAD BACK TO WOKING AND GREET THE TEAM- TELL ME WHAT THAT’S LIKE, SHARING THAT WITH EVERBODY…

It feels like it happened so long ago actually. Well it was great you know, we came back and it was a kind of er, an unusual feeling being in Brazil on the Sunday night after winning the championship because I always want to achieve better, I always want to be better. So even though I won the championship I didn’t win the race, so it wasn’t the best, best feeling if you know what I mean. I think the ultimate goal has to be to actually win the last race and win the world championship. I think that would definitely be the best end to the year but…. just all these different emotions went through my mind and erm, I couldn’t really enjoy myself as much as all, everyone else around me was celebrating. But I was just, I was relaxed and satisfied. We went to say thanks to the people up in Brixworth and down at MTC, and to see the support I had, the warm welcome I had, not only from my team but from the UK fans, it just gave me so much energy. So then I was beginning to realise exactly what I’ve just done!

HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO MOTOR RACING?
I’m 24 years old now, and I started when I was 8 years old. But before I got my first go kart I was racing remote control cars when I was 5, 6 years old with my dad at the weekend as a hobby. And I think that he saw that I had good hand to eye co-ordination so he bought me a go kart, after I’d actually experienced go karts when I was five on holiday in Spain. We took it out on the road out in front, we did our first race, we won our first race, we kept doing it and as you know, as my dad said; ‘we’ll do it as a hobby if you work hard at school I’ll keep you racing’. And it just slowly built into a business and you know, we got better and better and won more and more races.

WINNING, GETTING THE POINTS, ENTERTAINING THE FANS…. WHAT’S THE BE ALL AND END ALL WHEN YOU ARE RACING?

It’s nothing to do with entertaining I wouldn’t say! That comes along with it but it’s, it’s being able to compete and to, to prove that you’re the best and you know, to outwit all the other drivers and to get the most out of your car. To, to put the perfect lap together, which is you know, almost impossible. And then to, to win the race, and to score maximum points and of course to finish the race you know - it’s keeping everything in balance but you’ve got to enjoy those aspects.

WHAT YOU DO IS PRETTY DANGEROUS, THERE IS A HUGE TEAM BEHIND YOU, BUT YOU’RE ALL ALONE OUT THERE ON THE TRACK…

I don’t see it as dangerous, personally. It is dangerous but erm danger has never really been something that’s played any major part in my mental, within the mental side of things I mean. Yeah it is a dangerous sport but I love the speed, I love the adrenalin rush, erm, and you know, it’s difficult to explain it, you can’t really explain it, it’s just a, it’s an out of body experience almost sometimes.

TELL US ABOUT THE QUALITIES THAT HAVE HELPED YOU BECOME WORLD CHAMPION…

I could sit here and talk for ages about it. I have erm, I’ve got a great family, without their support I wouldn’t be here. I’ve got great support from my fans, I’ve got a, a fantastic team. And then on the more personal side you know, I’ve got the determination, the passion, the drive to be the best, I want to be the best. And I may be world champion but there are still other goals. There’s still better, still more races I can win, more pole positions and more satisfying races as well you know? It’s not just about winning the race, it’s about the moves that you pull on other people, how you outsmart someone or you fool someone into braking too late, or something you know. There are so many different things that come into it but you’ve obviously got to have a lot of talent and er, you’ve got to be very very blessed and very fortunate to, to eventually make it.

WHO DO YOU ENJOY RACING ALONGSIDE THE MOST?

I think you respect all the drivers. You have to, you have to have a lot of respect when you’re travelling at high speeds alongside them so you need to understand them and understand the different ways they work and how the different characters act out on the track. You know, I grew up watching Fernando Alonso, watching Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard and all these different drivers, Michael Schumacher, and now I’m up there racing with a lot of these guys and beating them, and competing with the. So when you’re driving alongside someone like Fernando Alonso you know, on the straight, you look over and you’re like ‘man I’ve been watching this guy for years and now I’m about to pull a decent move on him’ kind of thing you know. So it’s you know, it’s living your childhood dream, it’s very very cool.

IN YOUR OPINION WHICH DRIVERS WOULD MOST DEFINE McLAREN AND McLAREN’S HISTORY?

I grew up watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, so I would say those two guys and Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard …..but then you think of Bruce McLaren you think of Keke Rosberg, you think of all the greats that have been there and won, won world championships with the team. I grew up looking at all the different cars that have been in the in the lobby at er McLaren with all these world championship drivers and I have always wished that I would have my car there one day and now I do so now you can look at McLaren’s history and you’ll see me somewhere along there too!

WHAT MAKES McLAREN SUCH A GREAT TEAM?
It’s very much a family er, family oriented group of people and erm, it’s a company and a team that strives for perfection and I don’t believe any other team has that, you know? You go to McLaren and it’s perfect, you go to the garage it’s perfect, you see the car it’s perfect. And so… it’s drivers have to be perfect too, and I have to work hard on that!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

Er.. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say…. It was a BMW… it was a, well it wasn’t, it was a Mini, the newer Mini Cooper.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT CAR?
The Mercedes GL 420.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RACE TRACK?
Monaco

AND YOUR BEST EVER RACE VICTORY?
Erm, Silverstone 2008.

YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE RACE CAR?
The MP4 – 4, I believe, yep.

WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE?
My dad.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN’T A DRIVER?
Music, another sport, erm, working for my dad’s company maybe! Erm… I play a bit of the drums, and I play a bit of the piano, so I try to do everything.

I’M NOT TRYING TO RETIRE YOU, BUT HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED? AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO SAY ABOUT YOU AND THE WAY YOU DRIVE?

I want to be known as the best, that’s, that’s what every driver wants. To be known and remembered as a good person, a good human being, for doing, as much as he can for the people around him. Makes people happy, always speaks his own mind, is always fair and polite on the track, and off. And of course being able to overtake like no one else, brake later than anyone else, win more races than anyone else, and er you know, it would be nice to leave people with the thought that the next dude that came along, oh he was not as good as so and so, that would be pretty cool!