Mar.15 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has promised to curb his enthusiasm later this year if he is again defending a big championship points lead.
The McLaren rookie last year lost the title to Kimi Raikkonen after crucial driving and strategy errors in the ultimate Chinese and Brazilian deciders.Hamilton, 23, said the same situation would be different in 2008."If I'm leading the championship, I won't be pushing way over the limit to win the race," he said."I'll be conservative and finish in the points rather than come off."I'm chasing the same dream but in a slightly different way," the Briton explained.Triple world champion Niki Lauda thinks the late season mistakes last year were good for Hamilton."They were the best things that ever happened to him," he told the Guardian newspaper."They may have cost him the title but you only learn when you make mistakes," the Austrian said.Another triple world champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, hopes Hamilton is in a position to defend a title this year, following a busy winter."He can't be as well prepared for the 2008 season as for 2007, physically and mentally."How many trips has he taken on jet planes? How many cities has he been to? How many personal appearances has he made?" the Scot noted.