Lewis Hamilton's switch to Mercedes made headlines long before it was ever announced, but now the British driver feels settled in his new role and he's opened up about the comfort he has found at Brackley.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he referenced a period in his life in which he felt under the thumb of both his manager father and boss Ron Dennis: "No one controls me now. I’m able to be my own man. Obviously I’ve got bosses at Mercedes in Ross Brawn, Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda. I feel my family have instilled good morals and foundations in me and I am able to be respectful at all times. But, yeah, I make decisions I want to make now. I’m my own man and that’s what I always wanted."

The long-time McLaren driver has admitted it was a wrench leaving the team he spent his entire Formula One career with, but it came with some benefits. He says: "I think there was a point where I weighed up the options and they were both good options but one was slightly riskier than the other and I wanted to try it. It’s a little bit like when you leave home. In fact a bit more extreme than that. Taking that leap. If I stayed, I would remain in that environment I’m used to my whole life."