F1 Q&A: Lewis Hamilton

The 2008 world champion, who is second in this year's championship, talks to Simon Arron about why he is not worried about the Red Bull cars ahead of the title run-in

The learning curve never stops for Lewis Hamilton.

How do you feel about Formula One's summer break? There's nothing we can do about it, because everything shuts down. The Red Bull guys could go away on holiday and come back knowing their car is still the best, but we'd obviously have loved a chance to improve during that period. There's no point worrying, though. I'll do the best I can with what I've got.

Given the Red Bulls' pace this season, are you surprised to be as close as you are in the championship? Not really. If they had finished every race in the same position they'd started in, they'd be miles ahead. They haven't, though. They've made a few mistakes and we've capitalised. You made a big impact when you arrived in F1, in 2007. How much do you think you have improved since?

That's hard to answer, because there are lots of areas. You come across many different situations and, when you're inexperienced, you react in a certain way that might well be wrong. It's a bit like when you first pass your driving test and then go out on the road alone. I think everyone in that situation has a little bit of a scuff-up. It could be in the rain, or parking. Those mistakes make you wiser.

You did not have a particularly competitive car last season. Was there an upside to that in terms of driver development? It wasn't an unknown situation. When I was coming up through the ranks I sometimes had a rubbish car, but you just have to deal with it. It was character-building, certainly, but you always have to dig deep. Which other sports do you engage you? I like to watch MotoGP, basketball and Tiger Woods playing golf.

Any plans to try a MotoGP bike? No, I don't have a bike licence, but you should never say never. How do you feel about team orders? I don't agree with them. I wouldn't feel happy about winning a race if my teammate had let me through. You've met Nelson Mandela a couple of times. What was that like? When I first met him, in London, it was like being in the presence of a king. He was so gracious. It wasn't one of these meaningless meet-and-greet things, it was a genuine pleasure. He's an incredible guy, absolutely lovely. We can read about what he went through, but we can't possibly understand.