Hamilton: I feel God has his hand over me

Hamilton, a Catholic, said in an interview with Beyond the Grid podcast, "Anything can happen any day, but I feel God has his hand over me. Every morning I have breakfast and before I eat, I pray. Every time I eat, actually, I pray. So, whether it’s a couple of seconds, a minute or whatever you are praying for, take that moment."

"I go with a couple of my close friends [to church]. We meet, we go for breakfast and then we go to church together. We leave most often feeling enlightened and empowered. Sometimes you leave, and you are like ‘I didn’t get that today’, but most of the time you leave and you are like: Wow, I know where I am going."

Hamilton's idol the late great Ayrton Senna was increasingly religious in the years before his death at Imola in 1994 and was quoted saying, "If you have God on your side, everything becomes clear."

“Formula 1 has given me a life," continued Hamilton. "Given me a purpose, which is pretty special, but F1 has also broken me. It’s broken me and built me, broken me and built me.

“When you go through it, you put so much into it, it breaks your heart and kills you when you fail. When you stumble, when everyone’s watching when you stumble.

“But, when you get back up and when you succeed it lifts you up. You fall and you break a bone, you heal and you keep going. That’s what I mean by it.

“It’s the passion for what you do and the will to succeed. It’s just something that’s hard to express but everyone has it in some shape or form.

“Formula 1 has helped me grow and I have gained a lot more confidence within myself. What it has given me is the platform to be able to do things I want to do, live the life I could only have dreamed of,” added Hamilton who heads to his home British Grand Prix seeking a sixth victory in front of his adoring fans at Silvertone.