McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has promised to "live and breathe" Formula One next season, after admitting that he would need to up his game and eliminate distractions in order to return to his best form.
Hamilton has had a disappointing 2011 season, and currently sits fifth in the championship with three races to go.The 2008 champion has endured a number of on-track crashes in 2011, along with penalties from race stewards, most recently on Friday in India for ignoring yellow flags in practice.
And in an attempt to turn around his fortunes for next season, Hamilton has said that he will aim to completely return his focus to the sport.
"I plan to eliminate everything else, not my family, but anything that can be a distraction," Hamilton, who recently announced his separation from long-time girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, told reporters on Saturday evening in India.
"That will be a start [of my recovery] and the other [part] is in the race, just staying out of trouble."
Asked how quickly he could get back to fighting for championships, he mused: "Life is like a puzzle. You just have to get things in place.
"Formula 1 is a massively competitive sport where you have to have clear thoughts. You just have to live and breathe F1. There is no room for anything else."
And reflecting on his 2011 season, which has featured two race wins earlier in the year but more recently seen him on the defensive following one crash or another, he admitted that his own driving had been his main problem at times.
"My season hasn't been the best of seasons, lots of ups and downs," he muttered frankly.
"With the car we would have hoped to have had more pace consistently but the team has done a fantastic job to get us into the position where we are the second fastest team."
He added: "I speak for myself [when I say] my driving, for me, has been the biggest hazard.
"I can improve, and that's what I'm working towards for next year, and also staying out of the stewards' office is also a very big goal, top of my priorities for next year."
Hamilton also added that he was still sure he had the speed to compete, and said that he hoped his second place in the last race in Korea was a sign that things were improving.
"My qualifying has been pretty good. Generally I'm quite happy with my qualifying pace, particularly the last couple of races, but generally though the year I feel it's been quite good," he beamed.
"The last race was a good stepping stone, so let's hope I continue on that path."
Hamilton lines up 5th on the grid for Sunday's Indian Grand Prix, after taking his three-place grid penalty from Friday.
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