Hamilton: 2008 defeat would have derailed career

Ten years on from perhaps the most exciting finish to a race in history, Lewis Hamilton says that if he had lost the 2008 world championship his career would not have turned out the same as it has done. Hamilton beat Felipe Massa to the title after 'that' last corner pass on Timo Glock in the last race of the season on the final lap.

After missing out on the 2007 title in his rookie year by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen, Hamilton found himself once again just a top-five finish away from a world championship in Brazil.

Reflecting on that period of his career, Hamilton believes that if he had lost the 2008 championship, his career would have stalled out with the immense disappointment of back-to-back losses in incredible circumstances difficult to overcome at such a young age.

"It was definitely one of the most, if not the most devastating experiences losing the first year (in 2007)," he told ESPN.

"Even though I didn't expect to win in my first year, the stresses and strains of going through that first year were too much to take as immature as my mind was.

"Then to have to dig myself out of that bottomless pit that I was in, because I was in a deep pit at the end of 2007, to come back in 2008, be strong, win the first race and then get to the end of the year again ... I don't know how I would have come back from it."

Hamilton added that if he had lost the title that year, he would have struggled to find the strength to come back from the disappointment.

"I think so. I don't know how sportsmen find a way to come back.

"I know there are way worse things that can happen in life, but when you have a psychological low, you see sportsmen who are really great and then they have that one blow and it's hard for them to come back."