Hamilton boosted by family support

Lewis Hamilton is hoping the presence of his family at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will spur him on to victory
3 November 2012

Lewis Hamilton is hoping positive family vibes will carry him to the final victory he craves with McLaren.

For this weekend at the Yas Marina circuit, Hamilton has four of his cousins in tow - three of them taking in a full F1 weekend for the first time - along with father Anthony. They all looked on as Hamilton was untouchable throughout the three sessions, finishing quickest in every one and ultimately ending a third of a second faster than Red Bull's Mark Webber.

"To be honest, the best races I've had have been when I've had my family around me, in terms of just how the weekends have gone," said Hamilton. "I've not always been successful on those weekends, but to have that support just means so much."

He added: "Ahead of qualifying, rather than being in my room for the 40 minutes or so beforehand as I would if I was on my own, I was with them until the last minute chatting and absorbing their energy.

"(Team-mate) Jenson (Button) knows what that is all about, having family around. It's a real positive.

"For me, those extra three-tenths (of a second ahead of Webber) came from my family."

Before ending his 14-year association with McLaren after signing a three-year deal to join Mercedes from next season, Hamilton recently expressed his desire to take the chequered flag one last time with the Woking-based marque.

The 27-year-old has the perfect opportunity to do just that in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after dominating qualifying to claim his sixth pole position this season and 25th of his Formula One career.

Since the first race at this circuit in 2009, Hamilton has never been off the front row of the grid such is his affinity with the track. Although failing to capitalise that year due to a brake failure when leading, Hamilton finished second in 2010 before finally winning last season.

"I feel comfortable at 95 per cent of the circuits on the calendar, but this one seems to go really well for me," said Hamilton. "I really don't have an answer as to why, other than I feel good here. I know where I need to put the car, where to find the time. I just click with this circuit."

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