It feels surreal that I have had five years on circuit

There was something prodigious about Lewis Hamilton when he made his debut in the Formula One circuit in 2007, and he quite lived up to the status for the first two seasons. From finishing second in the drivers' championship in the very first year, he became the youngest world champion at 23 years the next year — and the first black champion ever.The expectations naturally soared — with the media even starting to call him the Tiger Woods of Formula One. It's not easy, however, to replicate success at that level in a sport where the machine plays a big role and Hamilton has often fallen short of the sky-high expectations — a fact the McLaren ace readily accepts. "I have been having quite a bad year," he says with a disarming smile during a visit at the Reebok store in Dubai Mall, but promises a turnaround may be round the corner.The long and patient queue of fans outside the store for his autograph, however, suggests something — his place in the popularity charts has no bearing on his performance on the track.In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, the British driver talks of his current form, the price of fame and media intrusions. Excerpts:GULF NEWS: How does it feel to be a young veteran of the Formula One circuit after five seasons?LEWIS HAMILTON:  It's very surreal. I was just sitting at home and thinking that five years have gone just like that. I am still as committed. At the moment, I am having quite a bad year but I am proud to have a championship... I would like to have more under my belt and I'm young enough to do that.This is the third season that you will be racing in Abu Dhabi. How do you find it as a venue and the multi-cultural ambience of the UAE in general?I have not been in Dubai much though I always fly through there. Talking about the Abu Dhabi event, the Grand Prix is absolutely stunning, it's certainly one of the best. It's a twilight race, and this year, the track may see some more overtaking.You have been often called the Tiger Woods of F1 because of your unique position and the endorsements you attract. How do you react to that iconic status of yours?It's not iconic status, it's just I am very blessed to be associated with people like Reebok. It's a brand that is growing I am happy to have contributed to it in my own way. However, I am happy to be mentioned in the same breath as Tiger Woods.This season, you have turned the angry young man of sorts in the circuit with a number of brushes. Somewhere down the line, is there a frustration of not being able to replicate the success of 2007-2008?Firstly, we don't have the car that we had in 2007-08. I have not been angry, it's just I have been going through some tough times… the situation with my family has not been spectacular, but you are constantly trying to adjust and move on. I am putting in every single bit of energy in training and on the track to turn things around.The intense media scrutiny in England once made you contemplate settling down in any other European city. Have you learnt to cope with it now?You never really come to terms with it, you begin to learn how to cope with it. You don't read newspapers.The two recent deaths in Indycar series and Moto GP have put the spotlight on the dangers of motorsport. What's your take on it?They were really tragic deaths… those two are the most dangerous among motorsport. Formula One is always improving in terms of safety features and fortunately, there have been no casualties. There are still some injuries, but drivers have been lucky to walk off from the crash.Finally, are you looking forward to the 2012 season?I am really looking forward to it but I will have to get away with this season first.