Hamilton happy to continue thriving on his big-race nerves

Hamilton, who leads the world championship going into Sunday's German Grand Prix, said: 'Well, I am human. There are nerves, but ones of excitement.

In the spotlight: Hamilton has admitted he suffers from nerves

'They are never nerves over thinking you might fail. They are about the adrenalin pumping. It's about whether you get the start perfect. What will happen in the first corner? You've no clue what will happen.

'Do you go left, right? Do you brake early, late? Do you get him from behind? Do you get a flat tyre? There are so many questions and that's the exciting thing.

'It's about how you control the nerves and maintain that energy through the race. I've had nerves since I started racing. It's the same every race and as long as I have that feeling I will keep doing what I'm doing.'

At least some of the pre-race pressure has been lifted from Hamilton's shoulders by his superlative victory in the wet at Silverstone a fortnight ago, which resuscitated his season after two disappointing races.

Now the challenge is to do what he could not do 12 months ago, namely hold his nerve to the final round in Brazil, on November 2. Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, who are level with him on 48 points but behind on countback, are waiting for a mistake.

Part of the strategy for Hamilton must be to know when to subdue his racing instincts by pulling out of a risky over-taking manoeuvre and instead accumulate easy points towards claiming the title. It's a dilemma with which he is still wrestling.

'The experience from last year means I am older, wiser and more sensible and can accept that scoring points is important,' he said. 'However, I do like winning.

'Last year I was always positive, but I took it a lot more personally when I made mistakes and had bad weekends. This year I am a lot stronger as a person and as a driver. I deal with it in a much better way.

'With the bad races I've had this year, I don't feel I have to bounce back. It's a case of "okay, that race is over, let's move on and the next race will be something different". I think that's where I am stronger than some other drivers.

'There are always areas as a driver you can improve on. You have to try and think about where they are.'

Meanwhile, David Coulthard's place at Red Bull will be taken by Sebastian Vettel, the 21-year-old German who has impressed at junior team Toro Rosso. He will partner Mark Webber from the start of next season, when Coulthard retires after 15 seasons.