McLaren drivers’ new approach

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button adopted a different approach to their winter regime in a bid to become Formula One world champion again.

For Hamilton, it was a case of becoming mentally leaner after the very public issues that blighted him on and off track last season.

For Button, approaching his 13th season in the sport, the 32-year-old has suddenly cottoned on to employing specialist nutritional advice to give him that extra edge.

Hamilton certainly appeared liberated on his first day back in the spotlight since the end of last season as McLaren unveiled their new challenger for the coming campaign, the MP4-27.

The genuine article was on show at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, a far cry from the tormented soul that suffered over the closing stages of lastseason.

Numerous on-track incidents and accidents were compounded when he split from long-term girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, professing at the final race weekend in Brazil he still loved her.

Just over two months on and the 27-year-old has now wrestled with the demons in his mind following a winter in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Speaking to Press Association Sport, Hamilton said: “I feel fresh. I had a really good winter. The team gave me a good bit of time off after such a long season, and obviously we went through a lot.

“But it was just a fantastic winter where I got to spend time with friends and family and was able to wind down and let loose.Then I got into quite an intense training regime, sitting down in between times where I analysed the year and certain things in my personal life which weren’t as good as they could be.

“I went about correcting those things, and today I just feel very fresh in my mind and very free of any of the burdens I had on me last year.”

Button admitted that on a mental level “nothing had changed” as he was “pretty happy at the end of last year”.

Instead, to gain the slender advantage this year, Button will turn to a great British staple – a cooked breakfast.

In tandem with Befit Monaco, an exclusive specialist training and dietary centre for elite performers, Button said: “We’ve been working on nutrition and things like that.

“It sounds crazy, but when you are at the top of any sport you’ve got to look for anything, to run through different things.

“It can keep you positive and in the right frame ofmind for the time you needit within the car, and also outof it.

“You’d think it’s easy, not to have fat and things like that, but that doesn’t work for certainpeople.

“So a full English is not a bad thing for me actually. Steak and eggs is the best thing for me for breakfast.

“It’s all going really well. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a lot of fun.”