Former McLaren driver David Coulthard has claimed that there is a different aura about reigning Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton this year, insisting that the Briton seems more connected than before.
Coulthard claimed that it has been a dream start for Hamilton this season, with four races already concluded out of which he won three. He stated that after winning the world championship in 2014, Hamilton had a solid pre-season testing programme but there was no indication of him blitzing the lap times.
In his column for the BBC, Coulthard also stated that Hamilton went into the 2015 season with some questions about the transition in his private life, following his split with former girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.
However, the BBC Formula One commentator claimed that the Mercedes racer hit the ground running in Melbourne and everything people have seen since -including Hamilton's victory in Bahrain on Sunday - is a happy, relaxed racing driver.
Coulthard claimed that Hamilton seems to have developed the ability Mika Hakkinen had of being either unaware of, or unaffected by, whatever is happening in the media or the world around him, outside of driving his racing car and whatever his private passion is away from the race track.
The 2001 Formula One world champion runner up stated that there is a different aura about Hamilton this year, adding that he seems more aware and connected than before.
Coulthard claimed that he found Hamilton a bit distant for a while, but added that now the two time world champion is reflecting on that, he'll mention it, comment on it. He insisted that it's not like they lost Hamilton, but pointed out that he is certainly now completely comfortable with who he is, right down to his own sense of style and fashion, which Mercedes are happy to let him express.