Hamilton: I did some studying during the summer

Vettel led the championship standings by 14 points in the wake of the Hungarian Grand Prix, after which the Formula 1 circus went into a one month summer break.

Hamilton revealed how he recharged, "I did some studying during the summer, to analyse where I had been with the car and was just basically jotting down: This is what the car wants, this is how I've gotta drive it. And then I just did that consistently throughout the season."

The strategy paid off handsomely for Hamilton as he went on to win three races in a row, beginning with the Belgian Grand Prix which signaled the start of the second half of the season.

With Ferrari still boasting a very fast car, perhaps the fastest at that point, Vettel seemed to succumb to the pressure while his title challenger rose to the occasion and in the end that post summer break spell was the key pperiod in Hamilton's title charge. He found an extra gear and was arguably in the finest form of his career."

"You wanna squeeze out those extra drops that no-one else can get. That's where I feel my value is. Often to get that extra potential you have to over-drive a little bit. But it's a fine balance," mused Hamilton.

"This year people have talked about us having the best car and for sure it's been good but there are some fundamental issues with the car that pop up in those kinds of races that I'm fighting to overcome."

"Understanding the car has really allowed me to get the potential and a little bit more. So even in the races where we've struggled we've come out with more than we'd hoped."

The new generation wider cars have clearly inspired the Briton, "I really feel like I drive today just like I did when I was eight years old in the go-kart. That's something I love and that's why I've enjoyed it this year."

"As a driver it's not just about being quick on the track. It's about consistency, all the other bits of your life, the pieces of the puzzle being in the right place. It's difficult to explain."

Hamilton's lifestyle has often been used as a weapon against him, allowing some to question his commitment and dedication.

But he sees the way he lives as the fuel that ignites his inspiration, "There's never a moment of how much I can get away with? It's how much can I give... We only have a certain amount of energy in our daily lives and it's how much energy you preserve for those things. It's just finding that balance, shifting that energy."

"Since I've been travelling between races there have been so many things being questioned and now people don't say anything, and that's through finding that right balance. But I have a lot of energy - it's about how you use it and rest and eat."

Some Formula 1 drivers live, eat and drink the sport to the point of obsession and although it may work for them, Hamilton feels it does not work for him, "It's in my everyday thought process but I don't obsess, that's for sure. I don't obsess about anything. If I obsess about anything it will be time - with family. How can I do this? And do that? Have your cake and eat it."

"On the racing side of things, the more I practice things, the worse it gets. If you do overtime, it can actually be worse. It's about finding the right balance."

"I switch off every day. Racing comes into my mind each day but doesn't run my day. Keeping yourself busy is the key for me. People say, isn't it better to relax? No, I like being busy, having my brain firing on all cylinders every day."

For 2018 Hamilton has ditched his trainer, revealing that this is all part of a plan to simplify the way he goes racing and inevitably the connection to his humble past arises, "I just wanted to go back to my roots. Up until F1 I didn't have a trainer and did all my training on my own."

"I remember days where I'd get up, as there was also an expectation at home. I kind of felt, my dad's working at 6am every bloody morning. So I was like, 'I've got to get to the gym, I've got to get to the gym, my dad's working, I've got to be working just as hard as him, because he's working towards the goal of

"And I remember one day I went to the gym, pulled up and passed out in the car. I was gone, like, the whole day and dad's like: You been working out the whole day? And I'm like: Well, no, I slept a little bit then worked out."

"It was about trying to get back to finding that within myself, because when you have a trainer they're whispering, hanging around, they nag you, push you, which is all good but you can get complacent and lazy because you rely on somethone and I wanted to get away from that."

"I've got to figure the dynamic for next year but I like that," added Hamilton who is spending part of his winter break in Colorado, enjoying snow filled days with his bulldogs Coco and Roscoe and probably doing a spell of 'studying' to get him in the right frame of mind for his 2018 title defence...