Hamilton surprised at own strength after losing in Abu Dhabi

Lewis Hamilton has had a difficult period with Mercedes. The Briton is sixth in the world championship and has only managed to get on the podium twice so far. Despite this, Hamilton has also taken plenty of positives from the past few months, he told Sky Sports.

The seven-time world champion had already counted himself rich at the end of last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen managed to secure the world title. It was a major blow for Hamilton, who had become accustomed to stringing titles together since 2014.

The driver withdrew for several months to deal with his pain. However, he never worried about his future. "My dad put a value inside me about never giving up," Hamilton explained. "It's not how you fall, it's about how you get up."

Hamilton worked on himself for months and had the mental strength to get ready for the new season of Formula One. While he hoped to compete at the front, he had to deal with a car that suffered from porpoising. As a result, he had to settle for a mid-table position.

At the same time, he managed to surprise himself as a teammate in a number of areas. "There's all these other areas I'm strengthening that I didn't even realise I would have time to do," Hamilton said.